Crimson Prince
by YunsDreamWorld
Summary: Standing in front of the building of Takanashi Productions, Riku took a moment to just take in everything. This was it. Once he stepped into the building, there would be no going back. He was a Nanase. They started something, they finished it. No matter what happened. RyūRiku and GakuRiku / Cross-posted from AO3
1. Formation! IDOLiSH7

I made a post on the IDOLiSH7 Amino about ナナツイロ REALiZE reminding me of the Arcobaleno from KHR which sparked a crossover discussion and this was the result. Please mind the tags.

Special thanks to Rinruri and Merrowku, who helped bring this project alive by motivating me and are the major reason I'm writing this.

The story follows canon and the chapters will correspond with in-game chapters. Therefore it will be rather slow moving in the beginning. Also, most of it will be from Riku's POV, so some scenes won't show up since they remain essentially the same. As the story progresses more non-canon elements and POV's from other characters will show up.

"Speech"  
' _Thoughts_ '  
" _English_ "  
" **Uchināguchi** "

* * *

The sun filtered through the garnet lace curtains causing the sleeping figure on the bed to stir. A mop of red hair peeked out from beneath the blanket. A yawn reverberated through the bedroom. A moment later, the peaceful atmosphere was broken by the shrill sound of an alarm clock.  
Grumbling, Nanase Riku rose from the comfortable warmth of his bed and turned off the offending device resisting the urge to throw it across the room. With the incident the previous day, he had maybe got around two or three hours of sleep. He couldn't really be sure. He would have preferred to sleep in today, but it was an important day.  
With a short stretch, Riku made his way out of bed to start his morning routine. Shower, get dressed, have breakfast and check in with the others. By the time he was ready to leave the house, the redhead was awake enough that he didn't have to fear getting run over by a car due to sleep deprivation.  
Standing in front of the building of Takanashi Productions, Riku took a moment to just take in everything. This was it. Once he stepped into the building, there would be no going back. He was a Nanase. They started something, they finished it. No matter what happened.

* * *

In the back of his mind, there were still some doubts about having made the right choice, but this was something he wanted to do. Something he craved. He had had lengthy discussions about becoming an idol with the others. In the end, they had convinced him that, if he wanted to do it, he should. Riku had agreed and contacted Takanashi Production to let them know that he would take their offer.  
' _I'll just have to be extremely careful_ ', Riku thought to himself as he took a deep breath and made his way to the entrance. When he entered, he called out the customary greeting. At first there was no answer, so he called out again.  
"Yo, Riku-kun, welcome", a man, who had come around the corner, greeted him. "To formally introduce myself again, I'm Ōgami Banri, a member of staff at Takanashi Productions."  
"Banri-san, I look forward to working with you", Riku responded with slight excitement, which earned him a chuckle from the older man.  
"Today I'll introduce you to the other members of your group, as well as your manager", Banri explained as he motioned for Riku to follow him.  
"The members and our manager…. That's already been decided?" Riku questioned with an arched eyebrow. That was a bit of a surprise, though he didn't really mind. He wondered what kind of people they were. Were they like his brother? Or completely different?  
"Of course! A number of them came earlier. Go to the training hall and meet up with them", Banri responded and pointed out in which direction he had to go. Riku thanked him and made his way down the corridor.

"Why am I getting nervous?" Riku mumbled to himself with a slight undertone of annoyance as he stood in front of the door leading to the training hall. He had been in far worse situations. This didn't really warrant getting nervous. Suddenly the door opened ripping Riku from his thoughts.  
" _How do you do?_ ", the young man, who had opened the door, greeted. All Riku could to in that moment was blink at the blond in front of him.  
' _English? Is he Japanese? A foreigner? Or maybe mixed? His face is beautiful, like it's been crafted-…_ ' Riku thought stunned. Before he could finish his thoughts or respond, the other started talking again.  
" _Oh! Nice to meet you!_ I am Rokuya Nagi. What's your name?", the blond introduced himself. Mixed was the most likely answer then, in Riku's opinion. Though, he could be wrong. Remembering, that he was supposed to respond in kind, he straightened slightly.  
"Ah… N-Nanase Riku. Nice to meet you!" the redhead exclaimed mentally kicking himself for the slight stutter.  
"Riku. It's an honour to meet you. Are you also here to be an idol… to be one of my members?" Nagi asked him obviously ignoring the stutter. This person was a bit odd, but that was all right. Odd, Riku could deal with and actually preferred it to 'normal' given his own situation.  
"Yes! Probably!" Riku answered. What was wrong with him today? Had the medication he had taken yesterday messed with him more than it should? Or was he so out of it because of the injury? It wasn't that bad. He had had worse and he barely felt any pain thanks to his tolerance for it.  
"Ok! I look forward to working with you", Nagi returned giving of a friendly aura.  
' _What a cool and stylish person…. He's probably very calm and composed_ ', Riku pondered, but keeping in mind that first impressions weren't always correct. He would just have to see.  
"Come this way. Two other members have come already. They are apparently brothers", the blond added and motioned for Riku to follow him into the room. As they entered the room, Nagi called out to two other people, who Riku assumed were the two aforementioned brothers, telling them they had a newcomer.  
"I heard! You're Riku, right? Good to work with you", a young man with orange hair and short stature greeted him. Riku simply nodded.  
"I'm Izumi Mitsuki, and this is Iori!" Mitsuki introduced him and his brother. Riku could see in their facial features that they were related despite their colour differing greatly. His first impression was that of a bright and cheerful younger brother, with a cold, older brother. But something didn't feel right with that. There was a nagging feeling at the back of his mind as he gazed at the pair of brothers, the assumed older brother having stayed silent.  
"Iori. Don't just stay silent, say hello!" Mitsuki lightly scolded his brother.  
"… I look forward to working with you", Iori stated after some hesitance. The nagging feeling got stronger, so Riku decided to feel out the brothers.  
"Iori-kun, you seem pretty shy. Mitsuki-kun, you're a lot more dependable than your older brother, huh?" Riku stated. The moment he finished his sentence, he could see the reactions of the two brothers. There was an amused twitch to Mitsuki's mouth and an annoyed twitch to Iori's left eye.  
' _Well, that answers that question. Oops_ ', Riku thought already sensing the one he had assumed to be older getting ready for a verbal lash out.  
"Nanase-san, I see your observation skills are lacking", Iori said in a predictably steely tone.  
' _I doubt I would still be alive if that was the case_ ', Riku thought dryly. Though he could admit, that his sometimes-blunt manner and type of trying to feel someone out, like he had just done with the brothers, had got him into trouble a couple of times.  
"What do you mean? And just call me Riku!" the redhead exclaimed outwardly wondering if he should already be pushing buttons. If he went too far or something went wrong, he could potentially ruin any future good relationship with his group members.  
"Iori, don't say something so uncalled for. Everyone makes that mistake at first", Mitsuki once again gently scolded his brother and directed the second part at Riku, "Riku, I'm the older brother. Iori's the younger one. I'm also older than you. I'm 21."  
"Ah, I'm 18. What about him?" Riku responded jutting his thumb towards the younger brother. Since he focused on the older brother, he didn't pay attention to the younger one, but he thought he heard him mumbling about not pointing fingers.  
"He's 17 and still in high school. Also, don't worry about honorifics, just Mitsuki and Iori is fine", Mitsuki pointed out with a chuckle.  
"Then just call me Riku!" the redhead exclaimed deciding to keep silent about the nagging feeling he had had earlier. Just then, Nagi decided to rejoin the conversation.  
"I made the mistake, too. It's difficult to grasp a Japanese's person's age", Nagi solemnly said. " _I'm nineteen_."  
"Huh?" Riku blurted out in slight surprise. Granted, he wouldn't have estimated Nagi's age to be over 22, but it still surprised him slightly. If he had to guess, it was Nagi's foreign heritage. Seemed like difficulties of estimating a person's age went both ways.

Just then the door opened with a click. Two more young men joined them. Riku mentally told himself to keep his mouth shut this time. Though, he couldn't help the amused though of one of them looking like what the public would call a delinquent, while the other seemed very proper. He had to keep himself from snorting out loud.  
"Nice to meet you, everyone. My name is Ōsaka Sōgo", the seemingly kind one introduced himself. For some reason, Riku's hair stood on end for a split second, though he had no idea why. He felt like he had just caught a glimpse of the future. Shaking it off, he decided to go ahead and introduce everyone.  
"Sōgo-san, nice to meet you! I'm Nanase Riku, 18. Mitsuki is 21("Good to work with you!"), Iori is 17 ("Hello.") and Nagi is 19 (" _Nice to meet you!_ ")", Riku disclosed pointing out each person as he mentioned them ignoring the glare Iori sent him as he did so.  
"Thank you for introducing everyone, Riku-kun. I'm 20 years old. Mitsuki-san, Iori-kun, Nagi-kun, I look forward to working with you", Sōgo beamed at the group. Why did Riku feel like this one was going to throw him off sometime in the future? He tuned back into the conversation in time to hear him tell the other one, whose name was apparently Tamaki, to introduce himself as well.  
"Do you two know each other?" Riku wondered having though they just came at the same time. They didn't give off the air of being familiar with each other. The responded with a negative and explained that Sōgo had shown Tamaki the way.  
"Yotsuba Tamaki. 17", Tamaki finally introduced himself. He reminded Riku of a sloth somewhat. Not in the sense that he lazy necessarily, but more in the sense of being laid back and taking his time. Lost in his thought he missed the arrival of the last member. Only when he felt stares on him, did he look up.  
"Oh, hi. I mean. Eh. Sorry. My name is Nanase Riku, 18 years old. Umm…", Riku sputtered and wanted to drown himself in embarrassment right afterwards.  
"Nikaidō Yamato- 22 years old. Nice working with you", the newcomer responded with a hint of amusement. Riku had a tough time fighting down the heat in his cheeks but managed to do so.  
Chariot would probably be amused as it would remind him of his own younger years if had witnessed this. Some of Chariots circle would most likely give him the cold stare, like Officer and Einstein would most likely lecture him on being an embarrassment to Chariot. That is, if they even knew of his relationship with Chariot. As far as he knew, Chariot hadn't told any of his friends or family about him yet.

Once again, Riku-kun was brought out of his thoughts by the door opening. He turned in time to see Banri enter the room. He enquired if they all had introduced themselves, which they confirmed they had done.  
"Well then, without any delay, why don't we have everyone here…", Banri began, but got cut off.  
"Do a lesson?" Mitsuki asked. Riku could literally see the energy vibrating from him. That was interesting.  
"Have a briefing?" Sōgo enquired. Riku still got that weird feeling when he looked at him.  
"Play basketball", Banri simply stated. Riku almost wanted to laugh out loud at everyone's dumbfounded reaction having had the feeling that something like this would happen. He almost missed Yamato's murmur of questioning if had entered a strange agency. The redhead chuckled internally. He had done a bit of research on the agency beforehand, so for some people that impression might be correct. An interesting time would lie ahead of them. Riku was sure of it. He just hoped nothing went too wrong.

* * *

A while later, the seven of them were in the midst of a basketball game. Yamato had taken the role of the referee, while Riku, Sōgo and Nagi formed one team, and Iori, Mitsuki and Tamaki formed the other one. If Riku had been keeping track correctly, his team was a point behind the opposing team.  
The match had been going on long enough that it was starting to take its toll on him. He hadn't even noticed the nicely dressed young women enter. It took all his concentration to keep going. From the short interaction, when she returned the ball to him after it had rolled towards her because he had failed to catch it, she seemed to be a bit of a shy one, but earnest given her cheering, which had slightly surprised him.  
Coming back to the game with his thoughts, Riku readied himself to shoot the ball towards the hoop. His knees bent low, his muscles pulled tight and his single focus was on the hoop. Then his body shot into a straight position, his arms stretched towards the hoop and the ball shot out of his hands as if it was an arrow released from the bow.  
Everyone watched with bated breath as the ball soared towards the hoop. It hit the edge, rolled half a circle along the bar and finally fell through the hoop. The whistle sounded, and Yamato announced that it was a tie between the two teams. Absentmindedly, Riku listened to the opposing team arguing with Yamato about overtime while catching his breath. When Banri interrupted calling for them to gather, the redhead let out a heavy sigh of relief. He really didn't know how much longer he would have managed to keep up.  
"Riku-kun? Are you okay?", Banri asked when he noticed his heavy breathing and lagging behind the others in gathering around him.  
"Yes, I'm fine", Riku breathed out, immediately straightening up. He really hoped he could get away soon for a short time to check himself over. If his suspicion was right, he was eternally grateful that his training outfit was black instead of white.

"All right, I'm going to introduce your manager. This is Takanashi Tsumugi-san", Banri announced motioning to the young women next to him. Riku recognised her as the one who had cheered him on earlier.  
"I'm Takanashi Tsumugi. I know I may be a rookie who doesn't know much yet, but I look forward to working with you. I was deeply moved by your game! You were all very serious and determined, I couldn't take my eyes off of anyone…", the blonde woman, or perhaps girl was a better fit, continued her introduction. Nagi didn't waste any time starting to flirt with her.  
' _So much for first impressions_ ', Riku mentally snorted. Nagi seemed to be opposite of calm and composed at this very moment. Riku had a feeling he did have serious side to him, though. Nagi's flirting prompted a small squabble between him and Mitsuki.  
"Manager, huh? Is it all right for it to be such a young girl?" Yamato interjected questioningly.  
"She also said she was a rookie, didn't she", Iori added his two cents. The comments made Riku want to break out into hysterical laughter. If only they knew. He was about to retort after noticing Tsumugi's stuttering when someone else beat him to the punch.  
"Age has nothing to do with it. She seems like a reliable kid. I look forward to working with you, Manager", Sōgo commented kindly. Riku had a tough time keeping himself from giving the older boy a hug, while mentally grinned like a Cheshire cat. Age, indeed, had hardly ever anything to do with such things.  
"I look forward to working with you! Thanks for cheering me on earlier!" Riku chirped enthusiastically. Their future manager seemed to slightly fluster at the sudden change in tune. Just then Tamaki commented on being hungry directing it at the manager, which sparked another small argument.  
"Everyone gets along very well. Did you know each other from before?", Tsumugi wondered, effectively cutting off the discussion about bento.  
"No, most of us just met today", Riku admitted. He did, however, agree that the seven of them worked well with each other considering all of them, with the exception of the two brothers, had only met today.  
"Is that so. You all worked together so smoothly…", Tsumugi noted expressing her surprise. Before the conversation could carry on, Banri mentioned that the President wanted to see her. She excused herself, as did Banri, who let them know they would be back shortly, leaving the seven boys alone.

* * *

Not too long after Banri and Tsumugi had left, everyone settled down apart from each other aside from the brothers. No one really talked as most of them were still winded from the basketball game. Riku considered grabbing his bag and go to the bathroom but decided against it in the end. Banri did say shortly, so he had no way of telling how much time he would have.  
Instead he decided to observe his future group members. They all seemed so different from each other simply looking at their appearances. The small bits and pieces that could be gathered from their short interactions seemed to further drive that point home. Riku did not doubt that they could splendidly work together as proved by their basketball game. However, he also knew that not everything was going to go smoothly. There would be challenges.  
The redhead shifted slightly to accommodate the dull pain in his side as he continued to contemplate the future he was heading towards. Arguments and disagreements were a natural part of any relationship, no matter what kind. The challenge was going to be how to work through them. Especially with the added stress of the entertainment industry. How they handled those situations was either going to make or break them. How far would the seven of them be able to go?

Riku was about to gather himself to start a conversation, but the door opened causing him to halt his plans and take a look. Their future manager had returned. She closed the door behind herself and motioned for everyone to gather. Riku had to bite back a wince as he stood up and realised that sitting down had been an unwise decision, which he really should have known. As he made his way over he got a better view of the woman and frown made its way onto his face.  
Something was wrong. Riku slowed his pace and began studying her features. At first, he couldn't discern anything aside from his intuition telling him that something was not right. As he got closer, however, he started to notice miniscule tell-tale signs. Her brows were slightly furrowed, and her skin seemed a shade paler than when she had left earlier. Not sickly pale, but not her natural shade of skin colour either. It was only when he came to stop next to everyone else that the puzzle pieces clicked together in his mind. She was distressed. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling they were about to find out.

Not a minute later, Riku was proven right. An audition would happen. The announcement caused a bit of an uproar with the other members. Riku couldn't really blame them. They had all been under the impression that they would debut together as a group of seven. He still felt Iori's comment was a bit uncalled for.  
"Saying that so coldly… I'm sure there were unavoidable circumstances. Isn't that right, Manager?" Riku commented and he meant it. He could clearly see that Tsumugi was distressed and it had to do with what she had just told them. That alone was enough for him to assume that she wasn't happy with how things were going either but had no choice.  
That left the option that the president most likely told her to hold the audition, which made the redhead's frown deepen. He had met the President Takanashi. The man hadn't seemed like someone who would deceive others like this. Something was going on, but Riku had no idea what.  
"Did you come here to play? This is a business. She's a business partner. If they aren't someone I can feel safe with watching my back while I'm on stage, then I won't entrust my face or my name to them", Iori shot back bringing Riku out of his musings. In another situation, Riku might have fully agreed with the younger one. He was well aware of the trust needed for certain things. He could agree with the sentiment of them needing to be able to trust their manager, but they had no knowledge of the entire situation. Jumping to conclusions was not something that they should do, especially if they did not know each other that well.  
"Saying things like "business" …. Iori, you're a high school student, right? You don't have to try so hard to act like an adult…", Riku responded deciding to keep his real thoughts to himself for the time being. Well, not that those weren't his real thoughts either. Iori wasn't completely wrong with this being a business and it was good that he understood that, but at his age, he shouldn't feel the need to put on a front.  
' _Unless…?_ " Riku thought as an idea made its way into his brain. But he mentally shook his head a moment later. If that had been the case, he would have known about it. Perhaps Iori was just shy or wanted to impress his older brother or family with his mature behaviour. Though, not all of it seemed a front. Still, Riku could see that Iori wasn't being entirely true to himself. He was the same after all, just for very different reasons. Most likely. Hopefully.  
"You're like a pre-schooler, aren't you", Iori stated more than questioned. Riku dryly thought that that statement wasn't entirely incorrect if someone, who had not gone to school yet, was meant by pre-schooler. After all, he had never gone to school before. At least not to an official educational institution. He had been mostly home-schooled or attended special lessons during his extended hospital stays. The actual implication Iori aimed for, however, kind of pissed him off and made that clear by exclaiming an offended "What!?".  
"Would you be happy with holding hands while smiling, taking an afternoon nap after playing, and receiving a gold star from the teacher?" Iori went on, which agitated Riku to no end. He really had no patience for such antics. If not for the snide tone of his voice, Riku would have called it childish, which it still was in a sense. His lack of sleep was probably partially to blame for how easily his buttons were being pushed today. Or Iori just had a talent for pissing people off. Or both.  
"You should watch how you talk to people older than you", Riku shot back with a serious tone and dropped the politeness of his speech. He did manage to keep the anger he felt out of his voice, though. Even if the younger pissed him off, that was no reason to scare the hell out of everyone. He really wanted to go back to bed right now.  
"Did you just try to intimidate me?" Iori questioned. Riku could detect a hint of astonishment and indignation, which caused a tiny mental smirk to form. The accusation made him want to roll his eyes. He had meant it more as a warning than intimidation despite being pissed off. Some people didn't take kindly to being talked to by younger people than them the way Iori had been talking to him. No matter how mature Iori was or believed himself to be, he needed to be aware of who he could talk to that way without endangering himself. Regardless of the setting. The most Riku would do would be scaring the hell out of Iori, but some people were pretty trigger happy. Like Chariot's former adversary.  
Before the bickering could grow into something more serious, Mitsuki and Sōgo stepped in. Mitsuki told Iori off and apologised for his younger brother's rude behaviour, while Sōgo kindly suggested to Riku to calm down causing the two bickering boys to turn their heads away from each other.  
Riku's gaze landed on Tsumugi as he did so. He could easily see that the situation was adding to her distress causing her to become insecure and not know what to do. Another sign that she had nothing to do with organising the audition. The redhead heaved a mental sigh trying to figure out how to fix the situation and find a possible solution to ease the girl's distress.  
"All right then. I'm pulling", the eldest announced breaking the uncomfortable silence that had formed after Iori and Riku's bickering had stopped. The announcement shocked most of the other, though only Tsumugi gave a verbal reaction by stammering Yamato's name in surprise.  
"I don't intend to push anyone here out. The reason I'm here is something like revenge anyway. I'll give up my place to someone with a more honest dream", Yamato continued causing some raised eyebrows and Riku's case a slight frown. Something about what Yamato had said caused a nagging feeling at the back of his mind. He felt like he had heard something similar a while ago, but he couldn't put his finger on it. That and revenge had quite the negative connotation. Riku didn't get the feeling that Yamato was a bad person, which was further accentuated by his willingness to pull out of the competition before it began.  
"Well, thanks for today", Yamato said turning away and began to make his way towards the door. Only Tsumugi's exclamation for him to wait made him stop in his track and slightly turn his body back.  
"Even if it's only the audition, please do it. This could just be my own selfish wish, but…. I want to see more…. I want to see everyone dance and sing even more. Please!" Tsumugi begged bowing to add meaning to her words. The bespectacled man remained silent staring, in what Riku assumed to be mild astonishment, at the girl.  
"Oh…. I can't let a lady lower her head alone. Do this for me as well", Nagi added making Riku smile gently not hiding it this time.  
"And for me, too!" Riku urged giving the older man an imploring gaze.  
"And me, too", Sōgo pressed gently, but with determination.  
"… you're a bunch of idiots. You're losing a rival, you know", Yamato sighed after a moment of hesitation.  
"Even so, I'm not happy losing one like this", Mitsuki declared echoing Riku's, and most likely everyone else's, feelings on the matter. Yamato stared at them for a moment, the astonishment clear as daylight on his face this time. Under the combined imploring gazes of Mitsuki, Nagi, Tsumugi, Sōgo and Riku, it didn't take long for him to cave and Riku could see the exact moment it happened.  
"… all right, all right! I'll do the audition", Yamato conceded raising his hands in the universal 'I surrender? Gesture which caused the five of them to grin happily.

* * *

When all seven had gone through their audition, Tsumugi thanked them and requested they wait in the room until they announced the results. Riku had to hide a wince. He had hoped to be able to slip away for a while after the auditions were done in order to check himself over. Now that he had been requested to wait in the room not knowing how long it would take them to announce the results, he decided it would be best to just sit down and rest for the time being. He chose one of the corners furthest away from the door and slumped down drawing his knees up to rest his head on them, while his arms hung loosely around his legs.  
Riku took a deep breath before starting to actively focus on his breathing. Slow and measured breaths. It would help to dull the pain in his side for the time being. Once Riku had found the desired rhythm, he let his mind wander wondering if he would pass the audition. A part of him wished, hoped, prayed that he did. Another part of him wanted to panic in fear of that happening. The part that feared for the consequences should he mess up at some point. His thoughts were interrupted when he picked up on footsteps drawing closer until they came to halt in front him. Glancing up, he saw Sōgo standing in front him. He seemed to hesitate for a moment as if he was unsure how to approach Riku.  
"… Riku-kun, are you all right? Do you want me to buy you something to drink?" Sōgo enquired with a worried undertone that made Riku wince internally. He hadn't meant to worry anyone, but he had needed a bit of space earlier.  
"Ah… It's fine…", Riku responded vaguely. He hated lying even if he knew it was sometimes unavoidable given certain circumstances. So, he tended to give vague answers to avoid outright lying of he didn't want to tell the truth. He wasn't exactly fine, but he wasn't thirsty.  
"Don't hold back. What would everyone else like?" Sōgo encouraged directing the second part to everyone else in the room.  
"I'll go with you? What do you all want?", Yamato added stretching with a short yawn.  
"A sports drink, if they have one", Mitsuki piped up with a sudden energy startling Riku a bit. He may not have paid any attention earlier, but one didn't have with how depressed and tense the atmosphere had been earlier.  
"I'll have the same", Iori added.  
"Some kinda juice", Tamaki drawled.  
"Mineral water, please", was Nagi's answer.  
"Got it. We'll be leaving then", Sōgo said with a nod. He and the eldest of their group left leaving the others in a slightly less tense atmosphere.

* * *

Riku sighed gently as he came back to himself after his meditating. Glancing around the room, he noticed that Mitsuki and Tamaki had migrated to another part of the room. His gaze landed on Iori, who seemed to be troubled. Given their interactions so far, Riku hesitated for a moment. In the end, though, his need to cheer up people when they felt down won out. He would probably still get told off.  
"… Are you okay?" Riku enquired softly when he was in front of Iori.  
"… What? I'm not nervous at all. If you want someone to talk to, look somewhere else", Iori snapped causing Riku mentally facepalm. He really should have known. Well, he had. He just had ignored it in favour of the need to try to cheer the other up.  
"It's not that. It's just, you were making a really scary face", Riku countered holding up his hands in an attempt to placate the other- He really didn't want another bickering session to start. He normally would have enjoyed the bickering, but the sleep deprivation made it difficult. When it didn't look like Iori would reply, he decided to try some small talk also known as subtle information gathering.  
"So, you're aiming for the same thing with your brother", Riku stated trying to avoid making it sound like a question.  
"Is that a problem?" Iori bristled. Riku was starting to think that bickering would be their default mode of communication at this rate.  
"Not at all! Jeez! It's your mouth that's the problem! You're always so crabby", Riku exclaimed in a temporary loss of self-control. While he didn't exactly regret it, he really hadn't meant be that blunt.  
"… I'm sorry", the other apologised in a barely audible volume. For a moment, Riku was stunned by surprise, before he allowed a small, gentle smile to grace his lips.  
"… I just thought, it was really nice…. You're walking towards your dream with Mitsuki…. You look like you get along…. I bet it's a lot of fun to work alongside your brother. Ahaha. I'm just a bit envious", Riku babbled in attempt to make Iori feel better. Inwardly, he winced as soon as he finished talking. He hadn't meant to let that much slip. He really needed a bed right now. Or, heck, even a couch would do. He just hoped the younger hadn't picked up on the slight wistfulness he hadn't been able to keep out of his voice. Before any more could be said, the door slammed open causing everyone's attention to snap towards it.  
"We're back. Yamato-san is treating us", Sōgo announced as he entered followed by the eldest member of the group.  
"it's fine, you don't have to tell them. Buying something like juice doesn't' really count as treating anyway", Yamato responded. Was that a hint of embarrassment Riku detected? The pair, that had gone to buy the drinks, started handing them out and received thanks in return.  
"All right, here you are. The mineral water was for, umm…", Yamato trailed off as he tried to remember for whom the mineral water was.  
"Thanks. It's for me", Nagi beamed suddenly getting into the green-haired man's face making him flinch back in surprise.  
"Whoa, don't suddenly bring your face so close! You're so beautiful my heart almost stopped", Yamato yelped. Riku had to hide a chortle behind his hand. He had seen Nagi move and had expected a surprised reaction, but that was just priceless. He wished he had had a camera with him. If their future fans ever found out about this, of both Yamato and Nagi made it, which he didn't doubt, they would start, what was the word again, shipping them together.  
"I understand that feeling…. You really are beautiful, Nagi-kun. It's like nothing I've seen on TV or in movies before…", Sōgo concurred. Nagi's momentarily confused face was sort of adorable in Riku's opinion, but he could sense there was more behind the confusion.  
"You are all very interesting", Nagi stated after a moment of silence.  
"Our faces?" Sōgo said perplexed. Riku doubted that was what the blond had meant. He was more likely talking about their reactions since beauty such as Nagi's was often met with jealousy or flattery by others. He had seen it before.  
"Our faces? Since you're so handsome, do our faces look funny to you?" Yamato joked good-naturedly.  
"No, no! Everyone here is very beautiful", Nagi protested seriously, the sentiments of Yamato's joke seemingly having gone unnoticed.  
Riku was about to the add his two Yen but halted and looked towards the door. Only seconds later, the door opened to reveal Tsumugi.  
"Ah…. Manager…", Riku voiced drawing everyone else's attention to the young woman. A moment of silence reigned as everyone steeled themselves.  
"…, I've prepared myself. Give it to us straight!" Mitsuki huffed.  
"Did I pass?" Tamaki immediately questioned.  
"You're too greedy", Yamato commented exasperated, but there was a hint of fondness in his voice.  
"Three of us will be chosen, right?" Sōgo recalled.  
"Please tell us. Depending on the result, I'll need to talk with the president", Iori stated. Riku arched an eyebrow at that.  
"Please, my girl", Nagi encouraged her. Tsumugi took a deep breath to steady herself before she dropped the bomb. Riku wanted to break into hysterical laughter when she told them that the whole audition thing had been a test for both her and them. He somehow managed to keep himself from doing so and instead whooped loudly. It was a close call, though. He really needed to catch up on some sleep.

* * *

Riku let out a weary sigh as he dropped his bag to the floor and leaned against the entrance door of his home after having closed it. The day had been a roller coaster. IDOLiSH7, huh? He liked the name. A giddy feeling bloomed deep inside him. He was looking forward to working with everyone.  
"You look like you had a rough, but pleasant day", a voice chuckled startling Riku into alertness. He frankly looked around until his gaze landed on a figure leaning leisurely against the wall not too far from him.  
"Chariot", Riku breathed in relieve. Chariot was one of the few people who had a spare key for his house, but he rarely dropped by without giving him the heads up.  
"Sorry for startling you. I was in the area for a meeting and dropping by was a very spontaneous decision", Chariot admitted with an apologetic smile as he stepped towards Riku.  
"It's fine. I'm just suffering from sleep deprivation and exhaustion, so I'm not as alert as I would usually be", Riku grunted as he started to slide down the door. Chariot was next to him in an instant wrapping an arm around Riku's waist while using his other hand to sling Riku's arm over his shoulders.  
"That bad?" Chariot asked after making sure Riku wouldn't topple over and slowly started walking towards the living room.  
"Not really, but I got a nasty cut in my side. The basketball game might have reopened it. I hadn't really had the opportunity to slip away to look at it", Riku groaned out between gritted teeth. He normally had an absurdly high tolerance for pain, but that seemed to fly out of the window whenever he reached a certain point of exhaustion.  
"Let me take look at it?" Chariot asked as he set down the redhead on one of the couches. Riku merely nodded his assent. Too exhausted to form words. Besides, Chariot knew where he kept the first aid stuff. True to that, it only took Chariot four minutes to return with Riku's first aid kit. He set them down on the coffee table before beginning to free Riku's upper body from the clothing.  
Chariot hissed in sympathy and worry when the bandages beneath were revealed. The wound had opened up indeed. The amount of blood would normally have him scrambling to call an ambulance. But the discoloured patches made it clear that the only reason it looked so bad, was because the wound had been bleeding for hours which had allowed the blood to soak the bandages. Like if a part of a fabric item was submerged into a glass of water while the rest remained dry. Given enough time the water would spread through the fabric and moisten parts that weren't directly in contact with it.  
"How do you feel?" Chariot enquired as he unwrapped the bandages. Most would have thought that to be a stupid question, but Riku knew was his friend was actually asking.  
"Tired and exhausted. A bit of a headache, but no nausea or dizziness", Riku responded. Chariot hummed in acknowledgment. Riku's breathing was slow but steady and strong. Same with his pulse. While he was slightly paler than Chariot would like, he felt warm to the touch and the skin wasn't clammy. No blue lips of fingernails either.  
"We can rule out hypovolemic shock, but I'm still staying the night", Chariot asserted as he removed the last bandages. Normally, Riku would have argued not wanting to be a burden to anyone, but he was too exhausted. Instead, he just nodded.  
The next few minutes were spent in a comfortable silence as Chariot worked. He cleaned the cut gently and rewrapped the injury taking care to make the bandages tight enough to act as a compressor, but loose enough to still be comfortable for Riku.  
Afterwards, Chariot cleaned everything up and then helped Riku to his bedroom, where he helped him change into his nightwear. Riku was already dozing off by the time Chariot pulled up the covers mumbling a thanks and good night. The last he was aware of was Chariot kissing his forehead and wishing him a restful night.

* * *

The next morning, Riku woke to the smell of pancakes permeating the house. He felt a lot better having got a couple of hours of sleep. His side was a bit sore, though, which really didn't surprise him after yesterday's event. Slowly, he made his way to the kitchen, where he found Chariot humming in front of the stove. He made sure to make some noise to avoid giving the other a heart attack.  
"Good morning, Riku! How did you sleep?" Chariot asked brightly while flipping a pancake over.  
"Morning. Quite good actually", Riku responded while he made himself some tea eyeing the pancakes. Chariot, who noticed that, chuckled in amusement.  
"Don't worry. They are edible, though they can't compare to my mom's cooking", Chariot reassured the redhead making him smile. It wasn't that Chariot was a bad cook, he just hardly bothered with cooking, which led to him only being able to safely cook simple meals. The one time he tried to cook something special for Riku's birthday, he ended up blasting Riku's kitchen to pieces. Not that Riku could really talk. If it wasn't for the fact that he had to cook for himself on a daily basis, he would be in the same situation as Chariot regarding cooking skills.  
A few minutes later found the two boys sitting at the table with a stack of freshly cooked pancakes, a pot of tea and various syrups. Not exactly a traditional Japanese breakfast, but both of them liked to switch it up occasionally.  
"So, how are the members of your group?" Chariot asked curiously while cutting a piece of his pancake off. Riku swallowed the mouthful he was chewing on.  
"They are an interesting bunch. Four of them are older than me and two are younger. One of the two younger ones really pushed my buttons yesterday. Either the sleep deprivation made it so easy or he has a talent for pissing people off. Or both", Riku chattered away and recounted the events of the previous day.  
"Sounds like a chaotic bunch", Chariot commented with amusement clear in his voice.  
"As if your group is any better", Riku teased, which made Chariot groan in exasperation.  
"Please, don't remind me", Chariot begged with faux desperation. Riku couldn't hold it anymore and howled with laughter. Though, he had to stop when the cut in his side started to protest. The rest of the breakfast was spent comparing their groups.  
After breakfast, Chariot checked Riku's injury again and was pleased to see that there were only a couple of fresh blood drops. Once Riku was bandaged up again and dressed for the day. Chariot bid him goodbye letting him know he would be by sometime soon again.  
Following Chariot's departure, Riku retreated to the library to get some reading done. He had no plans for the day and IDOLiSH7 wouldn't meet until tomorrow. They had been given the day to sort anything that needed to be sorted out in light of their new futures as idols. As he didn't really need to sort out anything, he was content to spend the day lazing around after the last few hectic days. With the intention of getting his current book finished by the day, he made himself comfortable on one of the library couches and immersed himself into the story of an ancient land.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed!


	2. Challenging the First Live

Notes: In regards to the timeline: since we don't have a clear timeline, I created my own timeline and made some adjustments. I also took some cues from the anime like TRIGGER's concert being on 21st March.

* * *

IDOLiSH7 heads towards their first live performance!

Meanwhile, Riku already faces minor issues.

* * *

"The Odaiba Outdoor Concert Hall?" Riku exclaimed in surprise. He knew they would do a live performance at some point, but they had only just barely begun training together. It's been a little over a month since the audition incident, as he privately liked to call it.  
"We're going to do our debut live performance at such a large location so suddenly?" Iori enquired relatively calmly, but Riku could hear the underlying disbelief in his voice.  
"Unfortunately, it's not a debut live performance. But it us your first live performance, which is worthy of celebration! I wanted everyone to dance on a large stage", Tsumugi explained.  
"Oh, is it a big hall?" Nagi asked, though Riku though that calling it a hall wasn't exactly appropriate even if they named it like that since it was a roofed outdoor stage.  
"I believe it can fit about 3'000 people…", Sōgo commented pensively. From what Riku remembered the last time he was there that should be about the right number.  
"So, like 10 classrooms?" Tamaki asked.  
"More like 100", Sōgo responded. That kind of intrigued Riku as he had never seen a classroom having been home-schooled. The hospital classrooms didn't really classify as normal classrooms as they were built for sickly children, who couldn't go to a normal school, so he figured they must be different. Maybe he should ask Chariot sometime.  
"It seems a bit unrealistic. Are you sure it'll be okay, Manager?" Yamato interjected. Riku had to agree with that sentiment. As exciting as it would be, they were an unknown idol group. It would be nothing short of a miracle to fill the Odaiba Outdoor Concert Hall completely.  
"It'll be fine! I'll make sure to properly advertise until then", their manager proclaimed.  
"But, for people like us?" Mitsuki voiced worriedly. Riku wanted to wince inwardly. That tone really didn't fit Mitsuki's usual energetic personality.  
"Please be more confident! We have Riku-san's singing ability. Yamato-san's power of expression. Iori-san's high level of perfection…. Mitsuki-san's energy. Sōgo-san's all-purpose master and Nagi-san's elegance. Tamaki-san's dancing ability…. Your true strengths are all appropriate for the front lines!" Tsumugi encouraged leaving all of them momentarily speechless.  
"Haha…. When you put it like that…", Riku chuckled. They were a well-balanced group. Each had their own strength to balance out each other's weaknesses.  
"Right? Makes you not feel so bad about it at all", Mitsuki agreed with his usual energetic aura. Riku really liked it better when Mitsuki was happy. He generally like it better when others were happy, if he was honest.  
"Please continue to work hard in you debut song lessons without worry! As we head to the outdoor concert, let's to our best together", Tsumugi cheered. Out of the corner of his eyes, Riku suddenly saw a pink ball of fluffiness bounce into the room.  
"Myumyu!", the fluffball exclaimed and hopped towards the group. The small red bowtie made the fluffball look even cuter, in Riku's opinion.  
"Ah, that's no good, Kinako. Your room is the president's office", Tsumugi gently scolded the fluffball.  
"So, her name is Kinako! She's cute! Can I hold der?" Mitsuki blurted out excitedly brimming with even more energy.  
' _He would make –_ ', Riku thought, but abruptly stopped his train of thoughts when he realized where they were going. That was a dangerous path to go down with his thoughts. He dragged himself back from his thoughts in time to Iori questioning what was cute about Kinako, calling her a fluffy, revolting thing.  
"Don't say something so contrary. She's cute, isn't she. Right?" Riku shot back without any real heat, since he had picked up on the small undertone in Iori's voice that suggested he did not entirely believe what he was saying. The last part he had directed at Kinako with a smile. The pink ball of fluffiness responded in kind with an excited exclamation.  
"She says she likes you! You wanna try holding her?" Mitsuki laughed holding Kinako out for him to take. And Riku was so tempted to say yes, to take that fluffball into his arms and cuddle her. But he couldn't. Not at the moment.  
"Ah… I'll hold off for now", Riku apologised with a regretful voice. He really did mourn not being able to hold Kinako right now. Maybe soon.  
"Really?", Mitsuki asked not entirely believing the redhead.  
"Yeah. I'm fine with just looking. …ahaha! Her nose is twitching!" Riku responded diverting attention to Kinako to avoid having to endure any further interrogation. Maybe interrogation was a bit too tough of a word to use. Questioning might be more fitting.

"I want you do decide part division for this song, so please decide the best divisions!" Tsumugi interjected to get the boys back on track.  
"Right, understood! …but, how?" Riku reacted only noticing halfway through his response that they had not decided on how they would divide the parts. Tsumugi stuttered for a moment and Riku could already sense the oncoming reprimand from a certain someone.  
"Think about it ahead of time, please", Iori told her immediately after Riku had finished his thoughts. The redhead mentally yelled ' _Bingo!_ '.  
"Can't be helped. Let's just sing each line one-by-one", Yamato suggested earning several agreeing reactions from the other members.  
" _OK_. Let's start. Since he's at the very end, Riku will go first", Nagi exclaimed volunteering Riku, which threw him a bit off for a moment.  
"Got it! Umm…, all right, I'll go!" the redhead cheered before taking a deep breath. Then he began to sing the first words, completely immersed into the melody. Until he suddenly began to feel stares on him making him stop abruptly, his standing on end. Being stared at usually never meant good things for him. Refocusing his gaze on the other people in the room he was met with awed stares. He could only blink in reaction.  
"…. …huh…? Was that your voice?", Iori asked with an emotion Riku heard the first time from him. It was almost as if he was impressed, but Riku was cautiously optimistic.  
"…Riku-kun, your singing is amazing! Nothing except simple words are coming to mind, but your singing ability really is incredible", Sōgo gushed a moment later.  
"Wow! I'm deeply moved!" Nagi exclaimed excitingly.  
"R…really…?" Riku asked half embarrassed, half uncertain. He had always been told that he had a nice voice, but it was the first he was getting such an extreme reaction. Then again, it was also the first time in five years that he had sung in front of other people, not including the occasionally humming that managed to slip past his lips when he didn't pay attention.  
"Then we can leave the hook to Riku, right?" Yamato proposed easily.  
"I want to hear more. Sing one more time", their youngest member requested shyly. It was so adorable and endearing, Riku couldn't refuse. So, he began to sing again.

* * *

Later in the evening, Riku arrived home shortly before sunset after taking a detour to do the grocery shopping for the week. Just as he was placing his bags down on the counter, his phone vibrated and the song indicating a mail started playing. It took him a moment to place everything down without dropping anything. Once he was sure the bags wouldn't fall over, he pulled out his phone to check it.  
Riku snorted when he read the message. It seemed Chariot's friends were driving him up the wall again with their antics. He typed a quick good luck message back knowing that, if it really went too far, Chariot would put his foot down. The other boy absolutely adored his friends, no matter how much he complained about the chaos and trouble they caused. Not a second after he had sent the message off, his phone started making noise again. This time it was a call.  
"Moshi moshi. Nanase Riku speaking", Riku answered after picking up the call. He trapped his phone between his shoulder and ear in order to put away all the groceries while speaking with the caller.

"Good evening, Chariot. I'm doing fine. It's just been a bit of a long day", Riku replied to the other's question as he put the milk into the fridge.

"You love them anyway. By the way, the location for our first live performance has been decided. It will take place at the Odaiba Outdoor Concert Hall", Riku chuckled shoving a couple of spice containers aside to make room for the new ones.

"23rd January and, yes, I'm aware that that's less than a month away", the redhead informed his friend as he stored away his shopping bags.

"We'll see. Whatever happens, it will be a good experience", Riku confided as he began brewing himself a tea.

"It would be nice if you could make it, but I know you have a tight schedule. Not to mention emergencies can get in the way. Just let me know", Riku noted as he poured the tea into his favourite mug. A red coloured one with a black double sharp on it.

"Yeah. Until next time. Good night", Riku smirked lightly as he could hear the tiredness in the other voice before hanging up. He stretched shortly and then took his mug to sit down on the couch with it. The news was put on and Riku leant back into the backrest, clutching the warm mug with both hands and drawing up his knees.

* * *

The next day, IDOLiSH7 met up in a nearby park for their first, sort of, photo shooting session. Since their first live performance was pretty much around the corner, things were going to be a bit fast paced for a while, which worried Riku slightly. Not that the group itself would be unable to deal with the fast pacing. While he had managed to inform everyone, who needed to know, earlier in the morning, he hoped he would be able to keep his schedule in line. Thankfully, the others had agreed to take a couple more responsibilities than usual until things calmed down again somewhat.  
"All right, look over here!" Tsumugi's voice pierced through the air pulling Riku back to the present.  
"What's this?" Tamaki drawled from his spot in the line-up that apparently been created while Riku had been lost in his thoughts.  
"A picture for the website, apparently", Yamato explained.  
"I don't have bedhead, do I…?" Riku asked pretending to be worried in an attempt to lighten up whoever was the source of the mild tension and distress he had started to sense at Yamato's comment. He couldn't really pinpoint, whom it was coming from right now.  
"Worrying about it now isn't going to do you any good, will it?" Iori commented in his usual brisk manner.  
"But…", Riku whined wanting to mess a bit with the younger boy.  
"Yeah, yeah. You're fantaaastic, Nanase-san. Super cooool", Iori shot back briskly, which got Riku to have mixed feelings about the response. Iori really seemed to have a talent for annoying him, but the underlying annoyance from Iori kind of amused him.  
"Oh, Mitsuki, don't be so embarrassed. You don't have to hide down below", Nagi remarked kindly. He didn't have any bad intentions, but Riku could sense the incoming reaction of the older, but smaller boy.  
"I'm not hiding. This is my actual height", Mitsuki shot back a bit tersely.  
"Oh! _You need secret boots_ ", Nagi responded with a sad voice. Riku was starting to have trouble holding back his giggling.  
"Shut it, beanpole!" Mitsuki exploded. Riku felt bad for the older boy, but he couldn't help but be amused at their bickering. This particular instance reminded him a lot of Einstein and Shōhei.  
"That's a grave expression you got there", Riku heard Yamato comment drawing his attention away from the bickering pair. Ah, that explained who the source of tension was. Sōgo did look like he was about to faint.  
"Huh…?" Sōgo uttered, apparently not having expected the comment.  
"Do you actually have some nefarious reason for not wanting your picture put on the site? Like, you're actually a wanted criminal, or something?" the eldest group member elaborated. And wasn't that golden. Riku had to mentally recite a mantra of ' _Don't start laughing hysterically. Don't start laughing hysterically_ ' to avoid just doing that. If Yamato's assumption had been correct, Riku would have been aware of it.  
"…. No, I don't. …I can't turn back now", Sōgo responded after a bout of hesitation. That peaked Riku's interest. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to do some research about the boys. Just some basic stuff, like immediate family and education.  
"You sound like you're going off to a battlefield", Yamato joked easily.  
"It's something similar, isn't it?" Sōgo responded solemnly. Yes, he would definitively do some research about his fellow group members. He had a feeling. That feeling was best not ignored.  
"Na, Manager", Tamaki called out gaining everyone's attention. Tsumugi made an acknowledging noise as she fumbled with the camera.  
"I wanna be in the middle", Tamaki stated bluntly.  
"Why do you suddenly want your way!?" Riku exclaimed in surprise. He wouldn't really mind switching, but Tamaki didn't seem like the type to seek attention in such a blatant way.  
"Were you actually a show-off!?" Mitsuki added on with disbelief.  
"W-we're trying to keep a balance, so please be patient with where you are this time!" Tsumugi exclaimed hoping to cut off the argument.  
"Tsk…. If Mikki was taller…", Tamaki complained. Riku's impending disaster alarms went off.  
"Hey! I've wished for that with all the passion I can muster since I was five years old!" Mitsuki exploded startling everyone. Riku made a mental note to avoid that topic with Mitsuki.  
"Sorry", Tamaki replied somewhat curtly. Even Riku was unsure if he actually meant it and was just surprised by the outburst or if he just didn't want to get yelled at again.  
"We're taking it! All right, cheese!" Tsumugi called having finished adjusting the camera barely leaving them time to get ready.

* * *

The day after, the members of IDOLiSH7 ended up helping distribute flyers at a nearby trains station, after having found out that their manager had been doing it by herself so far. They had been there for a while when a guy, around the same age as them surprisingly, took a flyer from Riku. So far it had only been women and girls taking their flyers.  
For a moment Riku was stunned speechless, though none of the others seem to have noticed. He stared after the guy and noticed something familiar in the boy's gait. The wheels started turning in his brain. Where had he seen that way of walking before? When it finally clicked, he nearly burst out in laughter. Turning back his attention to distributing the flyers, he was just in time to hear a pair of high school girls discussing, which one they liked.  
"I hope you'll come", Riku told them enthusiastically. The girls exclaimed in surprise as they noticed he was one of the boys pictured on the leaflet. One of them even asked if she could shake his hand, leaving Riku momentarily stunned.  
"Of course. I hope you'll support us", Sōgo responded, coming to his rescue and shaking him out of his stupor.  
"Please support us!" Riku managed to get out enthusiastically after a moment.  
"Thank you so much! Please do your best!" the taller girl exclaimed smiling before the two of them turned to leave, though Riku managed to pick up part of their conversation afterward, saying that the boys were really cool and that the two of them had been really lucky.  
"Somehow…", Riku began still slightly dazed from the girls' reactions earlier.  
"That was a very refreshing response…", Sōgo commented and Riku had to agree with that.  
"We're getting good feedback!" their manager beamed brimming with joy.  
"…thank goodness…. They even called me cool…", Riku smiled with awe colouring his voice, which did not go unnoticed by the others.  
"You are cool, you know? You should be more confident", Sōgo told the redhead sincerely.  
"That's right! You'll get even more screaming reactions from now on", Tsumugi added heartily.  
"That's true! I should be. There was a really amazing guy close to me, so I'm not used to being in the spotlight…", Riku responded taking on slightly embarrassed tone towards the end. It was a half-truth at least. When it came to these kind of situations, he really wasn't used to being the centre of attention. He realized long ago, that when it came to positive emotions, it didn't really matter if he was used to them in one kind of situation. He would still flail occasionally when encountering the same emotion in a different situation. Oddly enough, he didn't have that issue with negative emotions. Perhaps it had to do with his instincts taking over when negative emotions were involved.  
"An amazing guy close to you?" Tsumugi asked puzzled brining the redhead out of his musings. Riku hesitated for a moment but figured if he was careful with his wording, it would hurt to tell them.  
"My older brother. He's kind, can do anything, and somehow makes everyone around him feel happy before they realise it…", Riku reminisced unable to keep the nostalgy completely out of his voice becoming slightly subdued towards the end.  
"He seems like a good brother", Sōgo commented with a soft smile.  
"Haha…. I feel like you resemble him somehow, Sōgo-san", Riku responded in kind with a chuckle.  
"Really?" the older boy questioned in surprise earning a nod from the redhead.  
"I hope your brother will be able to come to watch you perform", Tsumugi told Riku with an encouraging smile.  
"…y-yeah", Riku sighed softly and fell into a contemplative silence. The others, who had been listening to the conversation with one ear, while continuing to hand out flyers, exchanged questioning looks at the nearly one-eighty the redhead's demeanour had taken. No one made a comment though, as Riku bounced back and returned to hand out his own flyers with a renewed energy as if it hadn't happened.

* * *

Training became more intense for all of the members. They would spend several hours a day at Takanashi Productions dancing and singing. The closer their first live performance was the more excited they became. Though, Riku could also sense and underlying nervousness in some members. His own nervousness was contained due to his duties outside of IDOLiSH7. It would probably hit during the couple of hours right before the live performance. That Riku didn't doubt.  
Until the day of the live performance arrived, Riku would just have to do his best supporting everyone. While grateful that his other duties kept him from being too nervous for the time being he was a tad bit worried whether he would manage to balance his idol and non-idol work without negatively impacting one or the other. He probably should talk with the crew about that.  
Despite Riku's worries, everything seemed to run smoothly. Each of them made tremendous improvements considering the short time they had been together. It became easier to synchronise their movements bit by bit. They had a small reprieve when they celebrated Iori's birthday, though that is a story for another time.  
Before they knew it, the 23rd January had rolled around and found the seven members of IDOLiSH7 sitting in the preparation room of the Odaiba Outdoor Concert Hall. Riku's foreboding that his nervousness would hit the hours before the live held true. It was partially amplified by everyone else's nervousness, but he managed to keep it from showing in his demeanour aside from the occasional flitting around of his eyes across the room.  
Only half an hour was left until the start of their first live performance when their manager came in with a subdued aura around her. As soon as they noticed her presence, they turned their attention to her. Riku had a feeling he knew why her mood was suddenly so sullen and his nervousness vanished in an instant. Moments later he was proven right.  
"There are barely any people in the audience…?" Riku echoed putting surprise he didn't really feel into his voice.  
"So, it's all but empty…?" Iori added sounding like he wasn't all that surprised. There was a hint of disappointment, though.  
"…I'm sorry…! There isn't anything unappealing about you at all! It's all because I was overly optimistic! I'm really sorry…!" Tsumugi rambled as she bowed to them. It reminded Riku of the early days he spent in his grandparents' care in a way. Except he had been way more extreme.  
"…. Ahaha! I thought something like this would happen!" Mitsuki heartily laughed after the surprise had left him. With that, the lingering tension vanished completely and everyone was more at ease.  
"We did aim for 3'000 a bit too quickly. So how many came? One person? Two people?" Yamato chuckled with amusement. Riku could easily tell that Tsumugi hadn't expected this kind of reaction.  
"…huh? Ah, um, nine people…", Tsumugi stuttered after a moment needed for recovery from the unexpected reactions.  
"Oh, we'll have a dance party with our nine guests tonight", Nagi cooed causing Riku to chortle inconspicuously. Mitsuki's enthusiasm really was contagious.  
"Haha…. I was nervous, but I've calmed down a bit. It'll be fine if we just do what we usually do", the redhead grinned a moment later. Tsumugi seemed to be totally out of her element not knowing what to answer.  
"Manager. Thank you for giving it your all while preparing for our first concert. You barely had enough time to breathe, right? Please enjoy yourself tonight", Sōgo encouraged her helping her calm down a bit.  
"Let's got at it with everything we have! So that those nine guests will come to see us again!" Mitsuki cheered with fervour.  
" _Great_ , Mitsuki! Those are _golden words_ , a wise saying!" Nagi praised the shorter boy,  
"They are our important fans, after all!" Riku smiled feeling his energy build up. He felt like he could go the entire night at this point.  
"It'll be fine if we fill the stadium the next time we come", Tamaki, who had so far remained silent, commented. The aloofness he displayed had Riku's thought go into a very bad direction that made him mentally shake his head vigorously. That's not a road he could or should go down.  
"Manager, put out your hand. Everyone else, too!" Mitsuki demanded, demonstrating what he wanted them to do by putting his hand forward as he spoke.  
"What are we doing?" Riku questioned curiously as he laid stepped up between Nagi and Tsumugi.  
"A high-five, high-five! Yamato-san, put out the order!" Mitsuki sang as everyone started moving in a circle and putting their hands together.  
"Why me…", Yamato challenged as he got up from his spot where he had been leaning against the backrest of the couch.  
"You're the oldest, aren't you! You're our leader!" Mitsuki half declared, half teased with a grin on his face.  
"I'm still only 22!" Yamato exploded momentarily catching everyone by surprise. Riku wasn't entirely sure if Mitsuki had actually hit a sore spot or ff Yamato was just exaggerating his reaction since Riku couldn't detect any real anger.  
"I'm not really cut out for the whole leader thing, though…", the green haired opined with an exasperated sigh. He heaved a second, more severe sigh seemingly gathering himself and coming to terms with his newly appointed position.  
"This is our beginning. For better of for worse, our beginning exists only in this moment today. Let's give everything we've got right now. All right, let's go!" Yamato proclaimed picking up enthusiasm as he went on. As one they exclaimed their agreement, lifting their hands into the air with a cheer.  
"Ahaha! Let's go, everyone!" Riku cheered as he began walking towards the stage.  
"Haha. Yamato-san is embarrassed", Sōgo laughed making to follow the redhead as did the others.  
"Shut it. Aah, jeez…", the eldest group member shot back and Riku though he could see a faint pink dusting their new leader's cheeks when he chanced a look back.  
"He's getting really red!" Mitsuki teased and the red was indeed getting more intense. Riku feared their leader's face would start competing with his own hair. The image was enough to get a hearty chuckle out of the redhead.  
" _Exciting_! It's very fun. I want to have even more fun!" Nagi exclaimed getting hyper. Riku made a mental note to keep sugar away from the half Japanese. He feared what would happen should Nagi suffer from a sugar rush if he got like this without any.  
"Me too", Tamaki agreed with a smile, which was the only indication that he was actually excited. Riku could sense the excitement, but Tamaki seemed to be the type, while capable of intense feeling, to not express them unless they got really extreme.  
"Goodness, what carefree individuals", Iori commented with what Riku deemed to be fond exasperation. The younger one would probably deny it vehemently if he were to point it out, though.

As the members of IDOLiSH7 took their positions on the stage, Riku scanned the stands from his spot. He saw their manager taking a seat next to Banri and the president. He scanned the seats a second time with a mental frown. Tsumugi had said there were nine guests, but he could only count eight in addition to their manager, Banri and the president making a total of eleven. Perhaps the last person had gone for a last-minute bathroom break?  
Riku's musings were cut short as the music started and he had to focus on his performance. Only minutes into the performance he could feel an intense stare on him. At first, he thought it might be one of the spectators, but it felt closer. The stare didn't really feel ill-intentioned, but the intensity of it made him feel uncomfortable. It left him on high alert and hyper-aware of his surroundings making it difficult to fully enjoy his first live performance.  
By the audience and his fellow group member's reactions, though, no one seemed to pick up on his unease, which he was grateful for. He hoped the stare would lessen. If it kept for the entirety of the performance, he might be high-strung enough by the end that the smallest misstep would make him snap. Even if the one staring had no ill intentions, Riku hated being stared at with such a focused intensity. His previous experiences with such intense stares were nothing to laugh at.

It wasn't until halfway through their live performance that Riku was finally able to identify who was staring at him due to having put most of his focus on his performance. It was, however, at the same moment he finally caught the presence of the ninth guest, which redirected the small amount of attention he had set aside for figuring out, who was staring at him so intensely.  
The ninth guest was a hooded figure blending in with the darkness at the back of the stands. Why would one of the guests go out of their way not to be noticed at a live performance? He doubted any of the others had noticed the lone figure in the back. Hell, even he had only noticed because he was trained to notice such small things. Well, that and his physiology.  
Another few minutes passed during which Riku used the small amount of attention not focused on his dancing and singing to figure out the puzzle the mysterious spectator provided. Thankfully, the realisation hit him during a small break between two songs. He doubted he would have been able to hold back the gleeful laughing even if they had been in the middle of a song.  
"Riku-kun, are you all right?" Sōgo asked concerned as Riku clutched his sides and doubled over, unable to keep his laughter under control. While the group members were concerned, as were Tsumugi, Banri and the president, the audience was more amused or confused. Some of them even laughed along. After a minute or two, the redhead was finally able to catch his breath.  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just super happy", Riku laughed wiping the tears that had formed in the corner of his eyes away with his index finger.  
"You had us worried there for a second. Thought you had suddenly gone off the deep end", Yamato joked clapping Riku on the shoulders, which earned him a surprised gasp from the force of it from the redhead and amused chuckles from the audience from the comment.  
As they prepared to start their next song, Riku noticed that the stare had slightly decreased in intensity but was still there. However, it didn't bother him as much anymore, the happy feeling knowing just who was hiding in the back of stands, overpowering the effect the staring had had on him easily.

* * *

The last song finished. The eight guests close to the stage erupted into booming cheers. Even Banri, Tsumugi and the president were enthusiastically waving their glowing sticks and cheering along. The zeal with which they cheered made it hard to believe there were so few guests. The calls for an encore were thundering.  
"Good evening! Thank you for calling for an encore! We're IDOLiSH7!" Riku called out taking a couple of steps forwards. The screams intensified even more, which they had thought impossible. It filled them with new energy.  
"Thank you for getting pumped enough for 3'000 people! Are you still not tired?" Riku exulted with a laugh. Another round of cheers and screams echoed. He could hear the president saying that he wasn't tired and Banri adding on that they could keep going.  
"Ahaha! Well, then, please listen! This is our original song! "MONSTER GENERATiON"!" Riku announced with fervour as everyone took their positions. The music began playing and the seven of them put in every last ounce of energy they had for the encore.

* * *

"Good work, everyone!" the president praised with a clap. After the live performance, they had all gathered at the office of Takanashi productions. While it was already way past midnight, the energy from performing hadn't work off completely yet.  
"Thank you very much!", the members of IDOLiSH7 chorused with bows.  
"Is it really okay!? We've just started out, but we're getting sushi?" Yamato asked as all of them took a seat the table filled with food and drinks.  
"I used my pocket money. You probably won't be able to eat this for another half year, so savour it while you can", the president responded as he poured drinks for everyone and handed them around.  
"Salmon roe…. It'll be lonely, but let's meet again in half a year…", Tamaki said solemnly.  
"Salmon-san…. I promise I won't forget you in a half a year…", Riku added playing along with Tamaki just for the fun of it. The sweat drops from the other members were so worth it.  
"You don't have to chew on it so thoroughly, you know?" the president stated with a chuckle at their antics.  
"Oh, eggs…. This is the first time I've eaten such wonderfully prepared eggs…", Nagi exclaimed in wonder stirring the conversation in a different direction.  
"If you're fine with a Japanese rolled omelette, I could probably make that?" Banri suggested with a laugh.  
"Amazing! Are you a chef from a hidden village!?" the blond marvelled with unabashed excitement.  
"I'm just an office worker", Banri replied with a chuckle. Riku raised an eyebrow at that as he chewed on a piece of salmon but made no move to comment.  
"Nagi. Don't just eat the topping and leave the sushi rice", Mitsuki scolded when he noticed that Nagi was leaving part of his meal untouched on purpose.  
"No thank you. It's been spoiled. It's sour", Nagi defended himself. Riku guessed it would seem that way to people who weren't used to Japanese food.  
"It's not spoiled! That's just what it tastes like!" Mitsuki explained loudly in exasperation.  
"No thank you. A green demon is sticking to it", Nagi reinforced his unwillingness to eat certain food items in his meal.  
"You can't eat wasabi either!? Sushi and soba are what they are because of wasabi!" Mitsuki spluttered in disbelief.  
"You don't need wasabi", Tamaki spoke up.  
"You really don't need wasabi-" Riku agreed being cut off before he could finish what he had wanted to say,  
"Goodness, you really are just kids. If you can't even eat wasabi, you'll never grow up well", Mitsuki lamented. Riku wanted to argue and tell him he had a valid reason he _couldn't_ eat wasabi. It wasn't that he didn't want to. He actually liked the taste, but he literally couldn't. The spiciness was so strong for him that it would overwhelm his sense of taste. Whenever he did eat wasabi, or any spicy or strong food for that matter, he had to be extremely careful. The first time he had eaten wasabi without care or the necessary preparations, he had ended up in the hospital.  
It was probably best not to say anything. Riku had no doubt it would lead to questions he wasn't ready to answer, nor would he have the energy or patience for it as the answers he would have to give would lead to more questions. Riku refocused his attention in time to witness Mitsuki covering Yamato's mouth with his hands to prevent him from saying whatever he had intended to say.  
"… If you really are over 20, then can't you at least think about how human relationships in the workplace work? Okay? Jeez…", Mitsuki complained. It seems Riku had missed something while he had been lost in his musings.  
"Haa…. That was a really good live performance. It was such a good live performance, but…. Because of me, there were only 9 guests…", Tsumugi sighed drawing everyone's attention to herself, the gloom from before the live performance making a comeback.  
"Don't be upset. I'm happy we were able to stand on a stage thanks to you", Sōgo comforted her meaning every word of it and Riku could wholeheartedly agree with that causing him to nod along.  
"…really?", Tsumugi asked not quite believing it yet.  
"Of course. I'll never forget that live performance. It felt like it was over in a second, it was so fun. Thank you for preparing such a wonderful time for us", Sōgo smiled as he recalled the previous hours. Tsumugi started to get a bit emotional at that.  
"Well, it doesn't change the fact that it was a massive failure", Iori cut in. Riku really wanted to hit him for that. That kid needed to learn how to read the atmosphere. He placed a comforting hand Tsumugi's shoulder as she clutched her stomach.  
"Iori-kun. This is a closing party", Sōgo scolded gently.  
"You're being too lenient. But it's true we got a good reaction", Iori responded dryly.  
"Oh right, during the live performance, Iorin was staring at Rikkun", Tamaki mentioned out of the blue stirring the conversation to yet another topic. Riku wasn't sure if he actually wanted to discuss this particular one.  
"Ah, I noticed that, too. You had a bloodcurdling look on your face. What was that about? Ichi", the eldest member of their group chimed in. Part of Riku was curious, while the other didn't want to know.  
"… it's nothing, really…", Iori replied reluctantly after a bout of silence. He wasn't being honest and that sparked Riku's curiosity even more.  
"Huh? You were looking at me? Why? Did my pants rip?" Riku questioned deciding to act surprised. He knew his pants hadn't ripped since he had actually checked them after taking them off to make sure they were still in one piece. He just couldn't think of anything better. At least it got a laugh out of the older brother.  
"If something like that happened, I definitely would have pulled you into the wings", Iori told him sternly.  
"Then, why?" Riku puzzled tilting his head to the side.  
"It was nothing. I was just worried whether or not you'd make a mistake", Iori stated bluntly, but again, Riku could feel that he wasn't entirely honest. Despite knowing that, he couldn't help but get annoyed at the implications of what Iori said, even if it was to cover up the real reason behind his behaviour.  
"There was no reason to worry about that, Riku was in amazing condition! I got a bit emotional listening to you", Yamato interjected moving the conversation away from what could become a landmine.  
"Really?" Riku responded eager to change the topic as well. His curiosity concerning Iori's motives would have to wait for another time.  
"Yeah. It struck my heart, I could feel my emotions building up. You really have a good voice", Sōgo concurred smiling gently at the redhead.  
"Really!? You aren't exaggerating!?" Riku asked again. He couldn't help it. It was one thing to be complimented by people who knew him for some time. It was something else entirely to be praised by people, who hadn't known him for that long.  
"Really", Yamato and Sōgo chorused with smiles directed the redhead. Riku started tearing up, which led to Mitsuki teasing him that now he was the one getting emotional.  
"It was a very moving live performance! Our hearts became one and we raced over the stars! It was the most amazing time, with the most amazing members!" Nagi gushed sincerely.  
"Nagi-san…. Hearing you say that makes me so, so happy… Next time, I'll definitely gibe you all a full house…", Tsumugi vowed starting to sniffle halfway through and tears began rolling down her cheeks.  
"Now that one's getting genuinely emotional…", Yamato commented fondly.  
"Don't cry, my girl. We are very happy. It's thanks to you. Your cheering was very powerful", Nagi proclaimed with flourish.  
"Yeah, that's right! I could hear your voice, I was so happ…, ….hg…", Riku agreed unable to finish his sentence as he was starting to get emotional to a point where it was difficult for him to keep his composure. The atmosphere was just too emotionally charged.  
"There, there! You did well, Riku! …, we did really well…", Mitsuki attempted to comfort, but fell prey to the emotional atmosphere as well.  
"And now Mitsuki-san is crying in sympathy…", Sōgo chuckled kindly.  
"Guys, aren't you gonna eat? Can I eat everything over here? … ow!" Tamaki, who had been eating contentedly the entire time, cut in earning him a slightly painful bob on the head, courtesy of their leader.  
"You eat too much for one person. Tama, why don't you try to adapt a bit to the emotional atmosphere", Yamato suggested with a sigh,  
"Anyone'd be hungry if they danced that much. I'm getting emotional because of the salmon roe and herring roe and flying fish roe", Tamaki defended himself.  
"Don't just eat fish eggs!" Yamato scolded their youngest member.  
"Ahaha! Everyone did their best! I had a lot of fun, from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for everything you've done these past few hours!" the president praised them once again receiving cheers from everyone in return. As they returned their attention to the food, Riku was inwardly grateful they hadn't brought up his short moment of uncontrollable laughter.

* * *

Once they had finished celebrating and cleaned up everything, the members of IDOLiSH7 had gotten ready to head home. By now it was only Mitsuki, who was conversing with the president, Iori and Riku, who had yet to leave. The redhead was about to reach for the doorknob when he heard footsteps approaching.  
"Nanase-an, I'd like to talk with…", Iori began as Riku turned around to face him.  
"What? Did I do something?" Riku cut it impatient to get home. He hoped it wasn't another lecture from the younger one. He really didn't have the patience for that right now.  
"…. Huh?" Iori blurted obviously caught by surprise. Okay, maybe Riku shouldn't have been so abrupt.  
"You're always so angry, so I thought I might have done something. Though it's fine if that's no the case…", Riku explained with a tired sigh. The energy crash was beginning so he really wanted to get home in time.  
"…. No…", Iori responded. Any other time, Riku would have pressed for an answer, but he was really tired. Therefore, he just wished the other a good night and left.

* * *

The next morning, the first thing Riku did after his usual morning routine, was to make a phone call. Since it was actually close to noon, he knew the other would be awake. It took only a few rings for the other to pick and Riku didn't even allow him to utter a greeting.  
"Chariot, you bastard! Why didn't you tell me you were going to be there!?" Riku accused the other teasingly with fake anger lacing his voice.

"Jeez, I'm only teasing. I'm happy you were there", Riku chortled as he flopped down on one of the couches in the living room.

"Ah, so you noticed. It was a bit unnerving", Riku sighed making himself comfortable.

"He's not a bad kid, I think. He's just socially awkward. Probably more so than the two of us put together", Riku explained huffing a small laugh. Both he and Chariot had had and occasionally still have trouble with social interactions. Each of them for their own reasons. They chatted for a while longer catching up each other on what was going in their lives.

* * *

Once the phone call had ended, Riku retreated to his study. He had paperwork to do. The worst enemy known to humanity, in Riku's opinion. Chariot, he knew, wholeheartedly agreed with that sentiment. At least he had less of it to deal with than Chariot. It would still take him what remained of the day to even remotely catch up. Thankfully, they had been given off both today and the day after.  
Sitting down at his desk, Riku opened his laptop. While it was starting up, he sent a message to his crew letting them know he would be coming in the next day towards the early afternoon. Then, with the most dramatic sigh he could muster, he started on his paperwork. Things would probably get even more busy from this point on. At least things were relatively peaceful at the moment when it came to his non-idol related work.  
Some time into his work, he felt a gentle brush against his right leg. He switched his pen to his left hand and continued to write seamlessly, while his right hand went beneath the table finding its way into silvery smooth, but wild fur. Almost immediately, his furry friend started chirping.  
"It's been a while since we had some quality time together, huh, Raksha?" Riku purred a couple of minutes later as he laid down his pen and turned his complete attention to the oversized silver fluffball. Instantly, Raksha was on his hind legs bracing his forepaws on Riku's thighs and licking his face with a keenness that told the redhead just how much his companion had missed him.  
"All right, boy. Let's get dirty in the backyard", Riku chuckled, which sent Raksha running out of the room in eagerness.  
' _A break wouldn't hurt_ ', Riku thought as he stretched and then made to follow his furball. Raksha was already chasing after a tennis ball when Riku made it to the backyard. With a grin, Riku joined him in his chase.

* * *

On a side note, while RyūRiku and GakuRiku are set in stone, let me know if there are any other pairs you would like to see. I can't promise anything, though.


	3. An Idol's Resolve

Trouble starts brewing for the freshly formed IDOLiSH7.

Riku starts questioning his decisions.

* * *

Two days after Yamato's birthday, which they had celebrated with a small dinner, Tsumugi made the announcement, that a dorm had finally been prepared for them. Thanks to IDOLiSH7 steadily performing at school festivals, shopping malls, and street lives next to preparing for their first live performance, they had gathered enough funds to renovate an unused company dorm.  
"Amazing! What a spacious room!" Riku commented as he took a look around. It was still a lot smaller than the place he lived at, but for a company dorm, he thought it was really spacious. While he was unworried about suddenly having to get used to living in a smaller space since his home could get pretty lonely, he was more worried about suddenly sharing said smaller space with so many people at once long-term. Not to mention, he couldn't take Raksha with him. He'll just have to deal with and find solutions to work around the issues.  
"Even if you say it's old, the building is totally clean!" Mitsuki added with surprise eliciting a chuckle from the redhead. Which reminded him, he should probably do some spring cleaning back home even if it was only the middle of February. Cleaning such a big house by himself was bound to take some time. His crew would probably end up helping, though.  
"Ah, I'm gonna take a corner room", Yamato stated being the first to claim dips. Which spurted Nagi into listing which room he would turn into what. That led to Tsumugi having to slow him down by telling him that it was only one room per person shocking Nagi. Mitsuki reacted by asking if it was really that surprising. Riku, on the other hand, had sort of expected that. Even without having had the time to do the background check he had wanted to do he had figured out by Nagi's demeanour and occasional comments concerning certain topics, that Nagi must come from a well-off family.  
"Iori-san and Tamaki-san are minors, correct? Did you get your guardians to sign the documents I gave you?" Tsumugi asked drawing Riku's attention away from the bickering pair. Now that he thought about, she hadn't given him anything for his guardians to sign even though he was technically still a minor by Japanese law. In Nagi's case he could understand due his foreign heritage and not having grown up in Japan.  
"Don't you need one from me as well?" Riku asked as she collected the forms from their two youngest members.  
"While officially that is correct, you already finished obligatory schooling and are allowed to enter the work force as well as get your driver's license. Iori-san, while having turned eighteen in January, is still in school. Nagi-san comes from outside of Japan, so he doesn't need to have anything signed either", Tsumugi explained as she scanned over the documents. Riku heaved a sigh of relief at not having to deal with that issue. He would have been hard pressed to explain his situation and he didn't need the stress of coming up with excuses on the spot.  
"Ah, that's the director's name", Tamaki mentioned when he noticed their manager frowning at the signature on his form.  
"Director…?" Tsumugi questioned cautiously seeming unwilling to press the matter.  
"I was raised in a facility", Tamaki explained a bit curtly.  
"Really!? You've been through a lot for being so young…", Mitsuki gasped in shock to which Tamaki responded with a short affirmative. First Sōgo and now Tamaki. Riku really needed to get these background checks done. What was next? One of their members turning out to be the illicit love child of a famous person? Riku shook his head mentally. There was no way.  
"So that's why you collected all those canned juice stickers…", Riku stated. At the time he hadn't thought much of it and just assumed their youngest member was naturally frugal, but it did make sense looking back on it with the new information.  
"And the seals from bread, too…", Sōgo added morosely.  
"I'm sorry for eating the pudding before…", their eldest member apologized. Riku could not for the life of him tell whatever he was sincerely apologizing and was just embarrassed about it or humouring him.  
"I won't forgive that", Tamaki plainly told him his voice taking an undertone of annoyance. From what Riku had been able to observe since they met that translated to Tamaki being angry.  
"We can't support you with moving expenses, but Ōgami-san can help with the company car. We'll also give soba to the neighbours", Tsumugi loudly announced to avoid having a fight break out. Riku doubted it would actually have come to that but appreciated their manager's efforts either way.  
" _Oh, Japanese food. Tempura soba!_ " Nagi exclaimed full of excitement eliciting a small chuckle from Riku. He found it rather endearing if he was completely honest. At least it never got boring with their members.  
" _Sorry_. It's tsukumi soba", Tsumugi pointed out sheepishly. Right then, Iori approached them having slightly kept his distance earlier.  
"Manager, do you have time after this?" he asked. Riku slightly narrowed his eyes devoting his full attention to the two of them.  
"Ah, yes…. I'm free", Tsumugi slowly answered unsure of where this was going.  
"In that case, let's continue our previous discussion. Well then, everyone. Please excuse us", Iori told her directing the last part to everyone else. Riku watched with a frown as they left the room.  
"…will she be okay? Isn't Iori going to lecture her? I also get lectured by him often. Even though I'm older, I probably look careless to him since he can do anything", Riku mused out loud. Mitsuki hummed thoughtfully next to him, which was along the lines of what he had hoped would happen.  
"What is it, Mitsuki?" Riku questioned turning his head to look at the older boy.  
"If anything, people like you and Manager… are the kind of people he wants to take care of the most", Mitsuki mused. It was a good thing he was not looking at Riku at that moment. Because Riku gave him the flattest stare he could muster, which was very flat. The kid really was socially awkward, if what Mitsuki said was true. Which it most likely was. The signs were there after all. Riku heaved a sigh, before announcing he would start unpacking what he had already brought along with him.

* * *

It didn't take long for Riku to finish with his room seeing as the company had arranged for the basic furniture. When talks about the dorm had begun each had been asked about their preferences. His room was kept in various shades of red colours. On the opposite side of the door was a bed with a headboard on the left side with a lamp on it. Right behind the was a huge window.  
The curtains were not as deep red as his own at home, but still a nice shade. In front of the bed, on the right side, was a shelf reaching up to his hips with two rows and four columns. He was really happy about that since he had quite a few books he wanted to bring later on.  
The front half of his room contained a small television table with four compartments to store stuff. There was also a small coffee table. There hadn't seemed to be anything to store his clothes, though. He had ventured further into the room and had found a small chest of drawers at the foot end of his bed hidden behind the shelf.  
There really wasn't much he would have to bring himself regarding furniture. He would surely bring his ridiculously huge beanbag and a laundry basket. As far as personal items went, he decided he was going to bring some books, his guitar, and his laptop. For now, he would refrain from bringing any pictures or things that could give an insight into his private life. He certainly wasn't ready to share that part of himself yet.

After Riku had finished stowing away the clothes and three books he had brought along for today, he decided to explore the kitchen. He wasn't sure yet if he was going to use it often, but it wouldn't hurt to know his way around it.  
When he entered the kitchen area there was no one there. A note on the counter informed him that the others had left to buy some more utensils for the kitchen since the equipment already available was scarce. Taking a quick inventory, Riku had to agree that it was only enough for maybe one or two people at most to eat at the same time.  
After a moment of debating with himself, Riku went over to the stove to see what kind it was. It turned out to be a gas stove. Patting himself down, he found that he did not have a lighter on him. Luckily, he found one in the first drawer he opened.  
Now armed with a lighter, Riku turned on the burner. One try. Two tries. Three tries. Nothing. The lighter was working properly, and the burner was on. It took him a moment to find the main tap. It was open. He heaved a sigh as he got on his knees while opening the oven. Thankfully, the floor of this particular gas oven was easily removable. He only had to lift it off. He began tapping along the main supply line. The sounds were normal until halfway through, where they suddenly changed. The pathway was blocked.  
Riku quickly put everything back in place before going to search for Tsumugi. She was easy to find since he could hear the low murmur of her and Iori's voice coming from down the hall. If he had wanted to, he could have probably made out their words, but he had no interest in eavesdropping on them. As such, he made sure to keep his focus on his other senses to dampen his hearing. When he reached the door, the redhead knocked loudly twice and opened the door.  
"Excuse me! Manager, the gas isn't working. The burner is on, but-", Riku began to explain, but was cut off by Iori.  
"Turn the knob on the main tap. And next time, try looking it up on your smartphone before asking someone else. A large number of problems, from love advice to taxes, can be solved that way", Iori lectured almost haughtily. Riku just considered it Iori's 'I'm annoyed' voice.  
"You don't have to put it like that, do you? Besides, it's my first time leaving home", Riku answered with a hint of frustration. If he were at home he would have just done things as he usually did, but they were going to live together in this place. Certain decisions shouldn't be made alone when sharing living space with other people. That's why he had come to consult Tsumugi.  
"It's my first time as well, and Manager herself still lives in her family home", Iori shot back and this time he really sounded arrogant. Riku was sure, though, that the younger wasn't really aware of it. He made to counter with his own argument, but the other didn't give him a chance to.  
"Nanase-san, aren't you a bit too pampered? Please try to properly act your age", Iori continued with what could only be described as a patronising voice. Unfortunately, Iori had chosen his words too carelessly. Riku didn't really care all that much if the others treated him like a naïve child. It worked in his favour but being called pampered hit a raw nerve and was not something Riku would let slide easily.  
"Fine, but don't expect me to come and help you if you're ever in trouble! Please excuse me!" Riku retorted loudly just barely refraining from snarling. Without another word, he turned on his heels and slammed the door shut behind himself stomping back to the kitchen. He hadn't really been serious about not helping him if he ever was in trouble. At least if he was in serious trouble. Ignoring someone in serious trouble went against his morals. With small thing, he certainly wouldn't help, though.

Growling into the empty room, he turned off the main tap. Then he opened the oven again and lifted off the oven floorboard. Earlier, when he had been taking inventory he had come across a basic tool kit, which he grabbed and put down next to the oven. Fortunately, the toolkit had what he needed to fix this.  
Using two wrenches, Riku loosened the screw nuts keeping the clogged part of the pipe fixed in place. Once he had removed the pipe part, he put the screw nuts into the toolbox to avoid losing them. He held the pipe up towards the ceiling lights and peered through them. Definitely clogged.  
The pipe was placed on the countertop while Riku used one of the few cups available to mix some baking soda with water. Then he armed himself with a bong brush, which he inserted into the pipe until it met whatever caused the clogging. He held the pipe over the sink and poured some of the baking soda mixture into the pipe from the top. Moving the bong brush up and down he tried to dislodge the clogging substance.  
It took a couple of minutes until the blockage started to loosen. Occasionally, he poured more of the baking soda mixture into the pipe. He shuddered when a rusty coloured liquid began trickling from the lower end of the pipe. After a couple of more baking soda mixture cups, the pipe was finally free from the blockage. There were still small remains, but it would do for the time being.  
Riku washed off the pipe and the bong brush under flowing warm water. The bong brush went back into the toolkit. The next step was to reassemble the pipe. All in all, it took him nearly an hour until the stove was working again. After having made sure it functioned properly, he put away the toolkit and washed his hands and face. And just in time for Tsumugi and Iori to emerge from the room, they had been in and the others to return from their shopping trip. By now, his fury from earlier had cooled down as well.

* * *

"What!? I'm the centre!?" Riku yelped. After they had put away the purchases the other had made, Tsumugi had gathered all of them in the dorm's practice room to make the announcement.  
"Yes! You have an amazing voice, and an appeal that makes others want to cheer you on", Tsumugi explained cheerfully. While she had worded it differently and the subject also wasn't the same, his grandmother had told him something very similar nearly six years ago.  
"It's fine, right? Good luck. Besides, everyone acknowledges how good you are at singing", Yamato commented easily.  
"You did it, Riku!" Mitsuki cheered making it sound like he had won some sort of contest. It wasn't entirely wrong, he guessed. They all just hadn't been aware of it.  
" _Congratulations!_ Riku, congrats on becoming centre!" Nagi congratulated him earnestly.  
' _Nagi, you need to stop saying the same thing in English and Japanese!' Riku mentally exclaimed. As amusing as he found it, it could be quite distracting._  
"So, when are the battles without honour and humanity for the centre position beginning?" Nagi questioned excitingly. Riku could hear the humorous undertone that betrayed the blond's teasing. Still, he mentally snorted knowing if such battles did indeed start, none of them would stand a chance against him.  
"We gonna fight?" Tamaki asked as if it was the most normal thing to ask.  
"There aren't… really any objections, are there?" Sōgo asked hesitantly clearly hoping that there was no reason for a fight to start.  
" _Oh_ …. You're all _vegetarians_ ", Nagi lamented with disappointment. Though the disappointment was more about the others not playing along than no one wanting to fight, Riku recognised. It looked like Nagi had a bit of a mischievous side to him.  
"You mean herbivores?" Mitsuki wondered not one hundred percent sure if had understood Nagi's English word correctly. Instantly, Riku stood with a ramrod posture, his entire body tensing and his hand twitching towards the hidden pocket between his belt and left backside pocket.  
"You don't need to be so nervous. I'm sure you can do it, do your best", Sōgo encouraged mistaking his tenseness for nervousness. It was probably best to let them believe that. The only reason his reaction hadn't been more violent was because Mitsuki's voice was so much warmer. Sōgo's words still did their job and got him to relax slightly.  
"Good luck, Centre", Yamato joined in on trying to get Riku to relax again.  
"Good luck", Tamaki added. As always there was only the barest hint of emotion, but it was what got Riku to almost completely relax.  
"Please do your best", Iori said with a hint of expectation mixed into his usual aura of superiority. Ironically, given his earlier fury at the younger, that washed away the last of his tense posture. However, another type of tenseness had made its way through his body.  
"Uuu…. Being repeatedly called that makes me feel like a hole is opening up in my stomach…", Riku groaned. The situation made his thoughts go down a road he absolutely didn't want them to. He could not and would not do that to them. Perhaps, joining an idol group was a bad idea. However, it was too late to back out now.  
It wasn't the centre position itself that made him anxious. The position he held within his crew was their equivalent to the centre position he would now hold within IDOLiSH7.  
"…but I'm happy to be recognised like this", Riku announced more cheerfully. A small part of him, the one that wasn't panicking about the situation, really appreciated it.  
"IDOLiSH7's centre, Nanase Riku! I'll give it everything I have!" Riku cheered with enthusiasm. He meant it. He would give it his all just like he did with everything else.

Only days later, IDOLiSH7 were performing at a park in the late afternoon. The sun was already starting to set bathing the world in golden hues by the time the group was about to finish their performance.  
"…haa, haa…. Thank you for listening to the end! I hope you'll continue to support IDOLiSH7!" Riku called out trying to keep his breathing under control. Today had been more stressful than usual. Coupled with the incident of the previous day, his body had trouble keeping up at the moment. It wasn't too bad, though. He just needed to take a breather later on. At least their audience had enjoyed their songs.  
"Ahaha. That Riku, he's been a lot more fired up since he became centre", Yamato laughed while Riku's breathing started to even out.  
"Yes, he continued to move with all his energy until the very end despite not having any stamina", Sōgo agreed with a fond smile. Riku decided not to comment on that. His stamina was a bit of a peculiar topic. It wasn't that he had no stamina. Recent events and current circumstances just didn't allow him to catch any breaks at the moment, which impacted his stamina and decreased it greatly. Yamato was about to comment, but the audience started calling for an encore right then.  
"All right! They want an encore! Let's do it, everyone!" Mitsuki exclaimed brimming with excitement and joy making Riku's senses tingle in a pleasant way.  
"…hey, Nagi!" the shortest member of their group suddenly yelled angrily causing the pleasant tingle to turn sour. All the member of IDOLiSH7 turned their attention to the blond.  
" _Hi, darling_. I came from a cold country in the north. Your heart has warmed me up", Nagi flirted with a girl from the audience. Riku winced inwardly. He sensed trouble heading their way, especially since he could see their youngest member out of the corner of his eyes.  
"Tamaki, you too! This isn't the time to eat takoyaki!" Mitsuki snapped proving Riku's intuition correct. They probably weren't going to do the encore anymore.  
"I saw this the whole time I was dancing", Tamaki responded as if it would explain everything. Riku slowly backed away from Mitsuki and sandwiched himself between Yamato and Sōgo.  
"Shut it!" Mitsuki seethed. Riku had the urge to grab onto the two standing next to him. He was torn between letting it play out and interfering.  
"'s got onions and mayo on top", was Tamaki's short reply. Riku chanced a glance at the audience. He could already sense a feeling of disappointment emerging.  
"Oh, that sound deliciou…ah, shut up!" Mitsuki responded forgetting his initial annoyance for a moment before remembering.  
"Nī-san, your actual opinion slipped out…", Iori murmured. Riku took a moment to identify the hint of fondness in the younger boy's voice.  
"Aah, if it's impossible, don't worry about it. I'm sorry, bye bye", someone from the audience interjected bringing everyone's attention back to where they were.  
"Ah…! …just when we were asked to give an encore…", Mitsuki exhaled with disappointment clear in his voice. Riku could sympathize with the emotion. However, as it stood, it was probably better they didn't go for an encore. He had a feeling they were well on their way towards their first conflict.  
"…hey! We're having a meeting when we get back!" Mitsuki rounded on Nagi and Tamaki. Riku inhaled and exhaled deeply. If he was honest, it was surprising it had taken them this long to reach their first conflict given how many distinct types of individuals belonged to this group. At the moment, they still could be considered a ragtag group.

* * *

"A meeting to discuss their self-awareness as idols…?" Tsumugi asked perplexed once the group had returned to the agency. It had been one of the few performances their manager had not been with them due to schedule conflicts.  
"Right. Mitsuki is…" Riku responded trailing off as he glanced towards the other six, who were scattered across the room. Most of them were sitting on the couches, but Mitsuki was standing in front of a mobile whiteboard.  
"Nagi, Tamaki, you guys are usually late and cancel at the last minute, to begin with! You start acting on your own as soon as we take your eyes off you, and you do whatever you want while dancing…. Are you even listening!?" Mitsuki ranted on his voice rising so high in volume towards the end that Riku had to cover his ears.  
' _Should have worn my earplugs_ ', Riku lamented internally as his ears rang slightly. He felt like he was going to suffocate with how much tension was in the air. Any other time he would be able to deal with it, but he was already exhausted and running on barely any sleep.  
" _Sorry_. I am currently adhering to my practice of watching Magical Kokona in real time", Nagi easily responded with such a seriousness, it was almost funny to Riku. Tamaki made a noise indicating that he was intrigued by that.  
"Listen to me!" Mitsuki exploded again. This time Riku had seen it coming and managed to cover his ears in time to avoid having them ring again. He really should listen to his instincts.  
"Yamato-san, say something! You're our leader, aren't you?!" Mitsuki turned to their leader with an exasperated tone entering his voice.  
"I'm the kind of leader that believes in laissez-faire", Yamato replied with amusement colouring his voice. This was not going to end well. Riku had a really bad feeling brewing in his chest and it was not an attack.  
"Riku! Be stern with them, as our centre!" Mitsuki suddenly commanded heatedly leaving the redhead to flounder for a moment. He hadn't really seen that one coming.  
"Let's take this seriously. Since it's been going so well so far", Riku addressed the two current troublemakers keeping his voice friendly for the time being.  
" _Oh_ , I am taking it seriously. I am singing and dancing seriously", Nagi responded clearly not seeing the issue at hand.  
"That might be true, but…", Riku conceded trailing off. He really didn't want to have to go there yet if he could help it.  
"We're doing what we're supposed to, so it's fine, right?" Tamaki piped up with his usual bored voice. Frustration was making its way through Riku. He took a deep breath. He couldn't handle them like he usually handled his crew in such a situation.  
"That's not the issue", Riku said firmly nearly growling and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. He would have to word this carefully if he wanted things to go smoothly as he registered the momentary surprise on everyone's faces. Thankfully, it didn't last long and Sōgo came to his rescue without being aware of it.  
"You never know when guests will be looking at you. You have to carry yourselves properly before and after a performance as well. So as not to cause the other members or Manager any trouble, you should take to always start moving give minutes before…...", Sōgo lectured but was unable to finish.  
"Sō-chan, that's too trivial", Tamaki interrupted.  
"…Sō-chan?" Sōgo repeated in a low voice. Riku decided to edge away from the group thankful he hadn't sat down.  
"I sing and dance with this group. I'm doing my job. I don't like being nagged at about other stuff", Tamaki continued oblivious to the rising tension.  
"Nagging…", Sōgo echoed in what seemed a rather calm manner. Riku, however, could sense the underlying frustration. He glanced at the door tempted to make his escape before it escalated.  
"It is, isn't it? You're tedious", Tamaki explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Sōgo remained silent his face showing frustration.  
"Oh, Sō, you angry?" Yamato asked with a hint of surprise.  
"Isn't this the first time?" Riku commented but immediately regretted it.  
"I'm not angry", Sōgo stated in a deceptively calm voice. His eyes, however, told an entirely different story. Riku barely registered Yamato apologizing as he fought the fight or flight response attempting to govern his actions. He managed to keep half his attention on the conversation as he battled with his instincts hearing Sōgo exhale heavily.  
"Listen, Tamaki. Take a look at Iori-kun. You're the same age but he's got himself together", Sōgo spoke far more gently than earlier. The exhaustion was clear in his voice.  
"Ōsaka-san…. I feel sorry for him if he's compared to me", Iori cut in. While Riku could not completely disagree with that statement seeing as Iori seemed to be perfect, it still rubbed him the wrong way.  
"Don't say something so conceited with so much pity", Riku grunted out. Battling with his reflexes and instincts always took a lot of energy out of him. Plus, he was already exhausted. Now, he wished he had sat down with the others instead of standing slightly to the side. At the edge of his vision he could see their leader throw him a slightly worried look. He chose to ignore it for the time being and focus back on what was going on.  
"You're 17 years old, so it may be difficult for you to understand what it means when you're told to act with responsibility. However, in order for our group to get more well-known…", Sōgo added on but was once again unable to finish his sentence.  
"Ahh, all right, I get it!" Tamaki burst out suddenly. While the volume wasn't enough to be painful for Riku, he still winced. For Tamaki to raise his voice must have meant that their youngest member was really upset. The others also seemed surprised at Tamaki's outburst. He had a feeling this wasn't the last time Sōgo and Tamaki would clash.  
"I'm sorry", Tamaki apologised after a short bout of silence. Riku frowned. He had calmed down enough by now that he was able to give the situation at hand his full attention. There wasn't any insincerity in Tamaki's words, but he did not like the underlying emotions he could feel coming from him.  
"Come on, you too, Nagi", Mitsuki spoke up diverting their attention to the other trouble maker, who's own attention was fixed on the TV.  
"What? What are you talking about? Please wait until the commercial", Nagi responded casually. Riku immediately covered his ears. It wouldn't block what was coming next, but it would lessen the strain on his ears.  
"…you little…! We're talking about how we're going to teach you how to properly prostrate yourself…!" Mitsuki yelled in retaliation.  
" _No! No!_ ", Nagi howled as Mitsuki advanced on him. If it was a different situation it would have been hilarious.  
"Where are you going?" Iori suddenly spoke up. It seemed Tamaki was about to leave the room.  
"…a walk", Tamaki responded simply and walked out of the room leaving the others to stare after him.  
"…. He's definitely sulking. What a young kid", Yamato commented, the fond undertone not lost on Riku. No matter how much their leader complained about his position, he cared for the rest of the team. Riku had a feeling he would probably deny it if called out on it.  
"…let's stop performing for a while", Iori practically ordered out of the blue causing everyone to stare at him.  
"Why are you saying that as if it's your decision to make?" Riku asked flatly. For a split second he could see panic shooting through the other's eyes.  
"…is what Manager said", Iori continued as if it had been what he had wanted to say from the beginning. Riku, however, could tell that it wasn't. He could also detect a lie. It had no malicious intent, but it certainly wasn't the truth, proven by their manager's flabbergasted expression and surprised exclamation.  
"Manager, please come this way for a moment", Iori addressed their manager immediately afterwards. No one was really sure how to react.  
"O-okay. Please excuse us", Tsumugi agreed and made to follow Iori.  
"What's up with those two…", Riku murmured as he trained his eyes on their backs. Those two were constantly spending time with each other privately. For a moment, the thought of their manager and Iori being an item crossed his mind, but he dismissed the idea easily. He may not have known his group members for long, but he knew enough to be able to tell that was not the case.  
"Don't tell me you have a crush on Manager and are jealous of Ichi", Yamato's teasing voice sounded from next to his hear. Riku tensed up in an effort not to let his reflexes take over. Their leader was lucky he felt comfortable enough with them that he didn't react immediately.  
"As if", Riku snorted as he forced his body to relax. He could feel the surprise rolling of his leader at his supposedly out-of-character response. Even if he had had a crush, he probably wouldn't feel any jealously. And if he did he would do his best to supress it. After all, he shouldn't get involved with anyone that way and therefore had no right to feel jealous. He was already pushing the limits by getting attached to the members of IDOLiSH7.  
"Are you all right, though? You seemed…", Yamato questioned and trailed off not knowing how to word it. The question brought Riku out of his musing. He hummed before giving a verbal response.  
"I'm fine. I just pushed myself a bit too close to my limits today. Nothing a good night's rest and a hearty meal won't fix", Riku grinned. It wasn't a lie. He really just needed a full night's sleep and a nutrient rich meal.  
"Actually, I think I'll go make myself a snack", Riku hummed to himself waving to the others absent-mindedly and left for the kitchen.

* * *

The next day, Tsumugi gathered them in one of the training rooms for an announcement. There was still some lingering tension between the boys from the days before. Riku had an unpleasant feeling brewing in his gut. Sometimes he hated when his intuition was right. The announcement brought him mixed feelings.  
"…TRIGGER's live performance…" Riku breathed unsure what to feel. There were both positive and negative feelings swirling around.  
"Yes. IDOLiSH7's performances will be suspended until TRIGGER's live performance one month from now", Tsumugi confirmed pulling Riku back from his thoughts. He decided to decipher his feelings later. He had one month to do so.  
" _Oh, vacation_! I can catch up on my anime backlog", Nagi exclaimed with excitement causing Riku to sweat-drop mentally. The redhead edged subtly away from their smallest group member.  
"You idiot! This is like house arrest!" Mitsuki corrected with a bit of force. That wasn't as bad as Riku had expected. It made him sigh in relief. Tamaki merely hummed.  
"But Manager. To do something like that now, when our name is becoming known…", Sōgo expressed his doubt.  
"We're doing it exactly because it's now. In addition to restraining our activities, let's take in some outside stimulation", Tsumugi explained. It almost sounded rehearsed to Riku.  
"Somehow, that doesn't sound like how you usually work things", Yamato voiced. Riku frowned as he mulled it over. It did sound familiar, though.  
"…u-ummm…. Well, dancing and singing are also prohibited until TRIGGER's live performance", Tsumugi continued slightly stumbling over her words in the beginning.  
"It goes that far!?" Mitsuki exclaimed in shock, the sentiment echoed on the faces of the other members as well.  
"That's all for now!" their manager responded seemingly eager to get out of this uncomfortable situation. As everyone made to leave the room, Riku remained rooted to the spot staring at their manager but not really seeing her. He vaguely heard someone asking if he was coming. With an absent-minded hum, he waved them off. It was only when Riku was alone and the door had shut leaving him in complete silence, that the puzzle pieces clicked together in his mind.  
' _So that's how it is…_ ', Riku pondered. It explained a couple of things. He wasn't entirely sure what the aim of restraining their activities like this was, though. He could only hope that it wouldn't backfire. For now, he would quietly watch from the side and let everything take its natural course. The upside about the whole situation was that he had a bit more time on his hands to deal with his non-idol related work.

* * *

Riku was deep in his thoughts. It had only been a couple of days since the activity ban had been placed on IDOLiSH7. He had managed to catch up on quite a bit of work and had actually gone to visit Chariot, who had been back in Japan for a business meeting at the time. The other should be back at his workplace by now.  
Chariot had been reluctant to leave after Riku had explained the current situation of the idol group to the brunet. His friend was more than aware what singing and dancing meant for him and was worried how it was going to affect the redhead. Riku had managed to assuage Chariot's worries by letting him know that he had his own crew, who looked after him, as well as various ways to deal with a month of zero singing and dancing.  
"What's wrong? You're staring into the mirror so intently", a voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He had completely forgotten that he had been cleaning the lesson room with Sōgo.  
"I feel sorry for this wide lesson room, what with singing and dancing both being forbidden", Sōgo continued after Riku had acknowledged his presence, but had made no move to say anything. Maybe he could do some subtle probing to keep his mind busy.  
"Sōgo-san, what do you think about TRIGGER?" Riku asked catching the older boy off-guard for a moment. To the other, it must have seemed like the question had come out of nowhere, but it had actually been something he had wanted to ask his group mates since the ban had been implemented. While he was unsure if the others were aware, the redhead knew that Sōgo was at least a fan of TRIGGER having glimpsed some of their merchandise in Sōgo's room on one of the rare occasions the door hadn't been shut.  
"What do I think? I like them. Their singing and dancing are the real thing and I'm looking forward to going to their concert. If you want, I can lend you their album la…", Sōgo rambled on, but Riku had to cut him off for various reasons.  
"I… don't know. When it comes to TRIGGER, I feel conflicted", Riku bit out a tad bit harsher than he had intended. If he was completely honest with himself, it wasn't TRIGGER as an idol group that caused these conflicted feelings. Just one of their members.  
"…Riku-kun?" Sōgo questioned with uncertainty lacing his voice. It made Riku wince mentally. That wasn't what he had intended.  
"Why do you want to become an idol, Sōgo-san? For example, could you even throw away your family for your dream of being an idol" Riku asked softly hoping the other wouldn't take his outburst personally and that the question wasn't too personal for him. However, the sudden shift in mood in the older boy and his silence made a knot grow in his stomach. He suddenly regretted asking that particular question and dreaded the answer.  
"I've already thrown them away", Sōgo responded with a gloomy hint to his voice avoiding looking at the redhead.  
"…you're lying, right…? I mean…, someone seemingly as kind as you…. Doing such a horrible thing…" Riku blurted. It was only half a question, though. Something didn't fit. He could sense no lie in Sōgo's words. However, there were other emotions rolling off the older boy.  
"It's true", Sōgo insisted, still not meeting the redhead's eyes. Riku frowned. The answer had been unexpected, and he would be lying if he said he was okay with it. However, both his intuition and instincts were pushing at him that something was missing for him to see the full picture. Well, not surprising, if he was honest. He hadn't really dug into any of his fellow group members' past yet and also didn't know them very well at his point beyond of what his senses picked up on.  
"I'm sorry for disappointing you. …I'll be going now", Sōgo murmured and turned on his heels. Riku called out his name as he was reaching the door. The other only stopped briefly to tell him to be careful not to catch a cold with a gentle smile on his face. Then he left leaving redhead to his thoughts.  
Riku heaved a sigh before he started cursing up a storm. Leaving his social ineptness aside, he had fucked up royally this time. At least he considered what just happened a major fuck up on his part. He would have to apologise to the older boy tomorrow. If he attempted it now, he probably would either fuck up worse or let something he really didn't want anyone to know yet, slip.  
"Merda!" Riku hissed harshly dragging his right hand over his face. He was still frustrated, but it had abated to a point, where he was unlikely to cuss up another storm. He had also calmed down enough to reflect on the conversation and remembered, what he had told Sōgo when they had handed out flyers before their very first live performance. That Sōgo resembled his brother. He hadn't expected the older boy to share this particular thing with his brother. Yet, there was something fundamentally different between the two. He couldn't put his finger on it.  
The redhead heaved another sigh. He should probably leave it for now and meditate over at a later point when he was less frustrated and tired. He put away the cleaning utensils and decided to head home. He shot a quick message in the group chat to let them know he would be spending the night at home and probably would be back sometime around noon the next day.  
Naturally, it was Iori, who questioned him on his course of actions. Riku merely replied that he missed home, which wasn't a lie. It had only been a couple of days, but he yearned for Raksha's company. It was the first time they had been separated for more than a couple of hours. It would take some time getting used to. It just happened that he had a couple of other reasons in addition to that one to spend the night at home.

* * *

When Riku returned to the dorm, his frustration from the day before had vanished completely. Unfortunately, he was far more exhausted than yesterday. He refused to let it show, though. If they were lucky, the conflict currently going on in his non-idol related work would be settled within the next few days.  
The redhead let out a sound of surprise when he entered the common room. He hadn't expected to come across Sōgo the moment he came back. Even weirder was that he was crouching in front of the couch with their sleeping leader on it. An awkward silence befell the room.  
Riku would have offered to do some of the chores, but his nose easily picked up on the scents of the new groceries in the fridge and the cleaning agents that hadn't wafted around the dorm the day before. He was thankful the older boy also had the habit of airing out after cleaning. He probably wouldn't be able to handle the scents otherwise.  
"Umm…. I'm sorry for saying something so weird yesterday. I was surprised to hear you say you'd thrown away your family", Riku offered awkwardly deciding it was best to just get it over with.  
"It's fine. I'm also sorry. We'd finally gotten along, but I betrayed your expectations…", Sōgo returned. There was a self-depreciating undertone that Riku did not like at all.  
"No! You aren't to blame! Besides, you didn't betray my expectations. I was just really surprised" Riku said seriously. Sōgo couldn't have known about his past experiences, just like he had no idea about Sōgo's circumstances. At least for now. He didn't really like snooping around unless it was work-related, but he needed to know more about them if he wanted to make this work. He wished he could afford them the same courtesy, but it was too dangerous.  
"Umm…. Is it okay if we make up?" Riku asked sheepishly. That earned him a small laugh and an affirmative response.  
"Thank goodness! Do you have time later? Do you want to do a lesson with me?" Riku chattered on relief flooding his system. He kept his voice low, though, to avoid waking up their oldest member.  
"I'd like to, but aren't we banned now? Once it's been lifted, let's do our best together", Sōgo gently reminded him. Oops, he had forgotten about that for a moment.  
"Aah, that's right! That's a shame. After I've made up with someone, or something happens that makes me happy, I want to sing out with a loud voice and dance with all my power. I can't really explain it, but it feels like everything I can't really get across flows out with the rhythm", Riku sighed. While he wore his emotions openly, it was only when he was singing and dancing that he could express them in their full range and depth.  
"I think I understand. So, that's why your singing is so carefree", Sōgo hummed thoughtfully making Riku grin.  
"I think everyone's like that! Especially Tamaki!" Riku added his face beaming.  
"Tamaki-kun?" Sōgo questioned surprised.  
"Tamaki is normally lazy, but when he dances he's always so lively! Maybe, for whenever he can't explain, he expresses himself that way. This dance right now is probably affecting him the most", Riku explained and watched as a sort of understanding filtered through the older boy's eyes. All of them, himself included, had a long way to go, but they were getting there. Slowly and steady.

* * *

Two weeks into the ban found Riku once more spending a day at home. He had made himself comfortable on the couch with Raksha curled up next to him while he read through all the reports from his crew. Affairs concerning his non-idol work had thankfully calmed down and been settled with minimal negative effects in the wake of them.  
Riku heard the front clicking open a mere moment before Raksha pricked up his ears and turned his head towards the sound. The door clicked shut a moment later. Leisure footsteps echoed softly through the space.  
"Shiki", Riku acknowledged not unkindly without looking up from his work. He was almost done with this one and wanted to finish it before dealing with something else.  
"Morning", Shiki's gentle and deep voice greeted him as he heard the other sit down on the couch opposite to himself. Having read the last lines of the report, Riku finally looked up from his report. Ijūin Shiki was relatively tall with short and wild brown hair. His narrow eyes possessed the same shade. His fashion matched his hair and had a wild touch to it.  
"How have things been", Riku asked heaving a deep sigh as he let his head fall back onto the backrest of the couch. He probably should take a break from reading the reports.  
"Pretty calm. Chihiro is recovering nicely. It shouldn't leave any scars or have any lasting effect", Shiki reported easily. That was good to hear. Riku had feared that the recent incident had left Chihiro with permanent damage. The idiot had protected Riku and taken the blow.  
"How are you holding up, Riku?" Shiki asked with slight concern after a short silence. Among the six he considered closest to him, Shiki was the second oldest one at 23 years old and therefore often took the big brother role when Shizuru, the oldest one at 25 years old, wasn't around. Come to think of it, Shizuru wouldn't be back for another week.  
"I'm holding up. I'm meeting with Itaru later for a workout. I'm more worried about the other members of IDOLiSH7. There are only two weeks left", Riku hummed in response earning him a nod from the other. Having gotten the serious stuff out of the way, they turned to more trivial conversation topics.

* * *

"Enough. This is annoying. I'm gonna tell Manager this ban is done", Tamaki announced out of nowhere the frustration in his voice clear as he, Iori and Riku were in the meeting room at the agency. Riku winced mentally. They had reached the three- week mark and only one week was left until TRIGGER's concert.  
"Wait, Tamaki! Everyone's doing their best!" Riku spoke up in an attempt to keep Tamaki from leaving the room.  
"But isn't this strange? We're idols, so I get being told to dance and sing. But what's up being told not to dance? Manager's the weird one", Tamaki groused.  
"Don't say it like that! Manager's thinking about this really hard for us…!" Riku defended. Granted, he had figured out who's idea it had actually been as well as what the aim was by now.  
"That's correct. If you have anything to say to her, then say it to me", Iori butted in drawing everyone's attention to him.  
"… Why?" Riku asked with a raised eyebrow. Seriously, how had no one else figured it out? The kid was actually a terrible liar.  
"Huh? Ah… ahem. I'm sure manager's busy, so I mean that I'll act as an intermediate", Iori stumbled over his words before catching himself.  
"Iori, are you close with Manager?" Riku asked making sure to put curiosity into his voice. It would probably be too much to blatantly tease the younger one.  
"Nanase-san. Focus on Yotsuba-san", Iori deflected making Riku grin mentally. He didn't believe that the two were an item, but he just couldn't resist the opportunity to tease Iori subtly. He took the bait anyway.  
"Tamaki, keep at it with everyone else for just a bit longer!" Riku directed at Tamaki as gently as possible. Predictably, though, Tamaki did not take it well only focusing on the words themselves and not the way they were said.  
"Why are you ganging up on me!? You're acting like I was gonna bully Manager. I hate this. Why does what I'm good at and what I like have to be taken away from me", Tamaki retaliated. Riku could not hide the wince this time. No one noticed, however, since their attention was focused on their youngest member.  
"Everyone, what happened?" a voice spoke from the doorway. Sōgo had joined them after having gone to do some shipping.  
"Sōgo-san. Tamaki said he was gonna directly appeal to Manager…", Riku explained hesitantly. At this point, it probably wouldn't matter, though. Tamaki was too distressed to listen to anything at the moment.  
"Appeal? About the ban period?" Sōgo enquired to make sure he was on the same page as everyone else.  
"…, don't you start on this, too!" Tamaki groused. Riku had half a mind of interfering but decided to keep out of it for the time being at the last moment. It would be best if they worked through their issues without any outside interference.  
"Tamaki-kun, calm down. If you try to have a discussion with her with that amount of force, you'll scare her", Sōgo explained in an attempt to calm their youngest member down.  
"What do you mean by that? You're all ganging up an making me out the bad guy", Tamaki shot back heatedly. Riku frowned and shifted slightly in order to have a better view of their surroundings.  
"That's no it, Tamaki-kun. Manager is a girl who's smaller than you, so you should put a little more consideration…" Sōgo attempted to explain.  
"Whatever, jeez!" Tamaki burst out cutting the other off. Their youngest member stormed off slamming the door closed behind him. Sōgo called out after him, but the door had already closed by the time.  
"Is he a kindergartner!?" Iori commented making Riku want to facepalm. Perhaps they, including himself, should attend a communication workshop or something like that.  
"That was uncalled for. We went a bit too far…", Riku sighed. Or rather none of them knew how to properly deal with everyone else. They had known each other for a while but then didn't know each other.  
"I'll go see how he's doing. You two return to the dorm", Sōgo stated. Riku was torn between agreeing and trying to fix things. In the end, though, he decided to leave it in Sōgo's hands. The redhead would probably make things worse at the moment. Not to mention it would give Tamaki and Sōgo the opportunity to get to know each other better. Therefore, he merely nodded to show his agreement. The three parted ways with Sōgo hurrying after their youngest member and Riku and Iori heading back to the dorm.

* * *

Only three days left until TRIGGER's concert. While everyone was getting along again, Riku was still able to pick up on an underlying tension. Dinner had still been relatively relaxed given the circumstances. The evening was still young, but Riku had retreated to his room right after dinner.  
For the last hour or so he had been watching some of TRIGGER's DVDs. He had hoped, that by watching and analysing them, he would be able to sort out his conflicting emotions. It would be preferable if he had a bit of a better idea of what to feel by the time they were going to be attending TRIGGER's live performance.  
Unfortunately, Riku hadn't gotten very far in that aspect. No matter how long he watched one Kujō Ten's performances, his emotions refused to become clearer. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that he could see past the mask he wore on stage. He wouldn't be presumptuous and say he knew what hid behind the mask. But the more he watched, the more he could see that TRIGGER's centre carried a mask on stage and in public. It made the redhead feel even more conflicted. Perhaps he should stop for now and meditate.  
"Kujō Ten", a voice suddenly spoke up causing Riku to tense. It took every ounce of self-control he had not to give in to his reflexes. He had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he hadn't heard or sensed the other coming into his room. He winced inwardly as he remembered that he had left the door to his room ajar. Riku made a questioning sound not trusting his voice at the moment.  
"His performance sticks out. And his presence as their centre is also superb", Iori explained matter-of-factly.  
"Yeah, it is…", Riku sighed. He couldn't disagree with that. Kujō Ten was a talented individual no matter how you looked at it.  
"Are you watching TRIGGER's DVD as a reference, Nanase-san?" Iori asked with a hint of curiosity.  
"No, I'm not using it as a reference", Riku muttered and promptly turned off the screen.  
"It's nothing to turn it off over", Iori commented offhandedly.  
"I'm not in the mood anymore and I was about to be finished anyway. I'm going for a walk", Riku snapped and brushed past a shocked Iori, completely ignoring the other calling after him. He needed some fresh air and maybe going on a run with Raksha would help as well. With that thought in mind, he began jogging towards his home.


	4. Destiny's Two Groups

IDOLiSH7 attends TRIGGER's live performance.

Meanwhile, trouble starts brewing.

* * *

Riku woke early on the day of TRIGGER's live performance. After the small argument with Iori he had elected to spend the remaining time until the live performance at home. He went through his usual morning routine while Raksha, who had kept him company during the night by serving as his personal live soft toy, enjoyed sprinting around in the garden. Thanks to that he had got more sleep than he had expected.  
"Good Morning, Chihiro", Riku greeted without looking up from cutting the vegetables. A disappointed sigh resounded, and the near-silent footsteps became more audible.  
"Sneaking up on you is impossible, Riku-san", Chihiro pouted as he rested his chin on Riku's left shoulder to watch him preparing breakfast.  
"I told you to drop the honorific. We've known each other for almost six years now", Riku chuckled. Chihiro was actually older than him, even if it was only by two months.  
"Riku-san is Riku-san", Chihiro stated in a matter-of-fact manner eliciting an exasperated but fond sigh from the redhead.  
"The other two are still asleep?" Riku asked as he finished cutting the vegetables and dumped them into the pot, while violet eyes watched his every movement.  
"Shiki-san was on his way to wake Kaname-san when I came down", Chihiro hummed keeping his eyes on Riku's hands. Riku would never fully understand the fascination his orange-haired friend had with watching his movements.  
"Speak about the devils…", Riku murmured barely audible. Chihiro was only able to hear it because he still had his chin on the redhead's shoulder. A moment later the door to the kitchen opened revealing a grinning Shiki and a yawning Kaname.  
"Morning, Riku, Chihiro", Shiki greeted filled with energy as he dragged the still half-asleep Kaname with him towards the other two. Riku and Chihiro returned the greeting.

A comfortable silence filled the room as Shiki parked Kaname next to Riku and Chihiro. The brunet then busied himself with making tea and coffee for the four of them. The minutes ticked by. It was right when Riku was done with breakfast that Kaname mumbled a sleepy good morning causing the other three to burst into laughter. Shiki, who had been setting the table, almost dropped the plates. Alerted by the sudden noise, Kaname's eyes shot open revealing a pair of heterochromatic eyes. His left eye was vermilion, while his right was slate gray.  
"Good morning to you, too", Riku chuckled as he removed the pots from the stove. Nudging Chihiro, he told him to help him with the pots.  
"Ah, uh, good, good morning", Kaname stammered in embarrassment. His face heated up and colour filled his cheeks. The other three chuckled. To an outsider, it might have looked like they were teasing their youngest group member, when Kaname was actually the second oldest at 22 years old among the four of them. Overall Kaname was the third oldest among the seven of them.  
Riku was actually younger than all of his six crew members. Itaru was 20 years old, while Naoto, the sixth member of his crew, was 21 years old. The redhead took pity on Kaname and called everyone to one of the smaller tables in the kitchen. Each of them took one side, while the dishes had been put in the centre of the table for easier reach.  
"Thanks for helping me with the paperwork yesterday, by the way", Riku made known as Shiki piled food on everyone's plates. The three of them had been over to hand in some paperwork and ended up helping him with it. When they had been done it had been too late for them to return to their own homes. Therefore, Riku had offered them to stay the night. Perhaps he should ask the six of them to move in for good. It would make the place less empty for sure.  
"Anytime", the three chorused. They began eating. Chihiro practically moaned his compliment on how good Riku's food was extorting a snort from Shiki and Riku. Kaname merely smiled with fondness. He was still not completely awake.  
"What are the other three doing?" Chihiro asked with curiosity.  
"Itaru is busy with the dōjō. Naoto is occupied with a job from the agency-", Riku listed off, but was interrupted by Shiki's phone going off. The brunet quickly brought out his phone and skimmed through the message. The frown that made its way on his face set Riku's alarm bells off.

* * *

After Shiki, Kaname and Chihiro had left to deal with the situation at hand, Riku had joined Raksha in the garden. He would have preferred to join them but had refrained in the end. The situation was not something they couldn't handle by themselves and he had TRIGGER's live performance to attend with the rest of IDOLiSH7 in a couple of hours. Besides, if things did go awry, they would let him know. If it came to that he would figure something out to let him slip away.  
A glance at his watch let Riku know that it was almost noon. He probably should get changed into his usual clothes and get underway. The live performance wouldn't start until early evening, but it was better to be early than late. Better to dress in warm clothes as well. The forecast had reported a temperature drop.

* * *

It had indeed been a wise decision to come early. It was still early afternoon, but the place was already starting to fill with TRIGGER fans. He almost dreaded having to into the concert hall. Better double check his gear to make sure none of it would fall out during the concert. Riku made quick work of checking it and was satisfied that all of it was secured in a proper manner.  
It would still be some time until most of the others arrived. Nagi And Tamaki should have already arrived, though. They had mentioned planning on being there at noon to avoid being late. Riku scanned the crowds several times and walked around but was unable to locate either of them.  
That was odd. He may not have spent the last couple of days at the dorm with everyone else, but it had been obvious that those were serious about bettering themselves. Riku was about to make another round through the premises when his phone rang all of sudden. It was Shizuru's message tone.

Riku made quick work of pulling out his phone and opening the new message. His eyes flitted over the message trying to make sense of how this could have happened. He needed to sit down. The bench he was standing next to was very welcome. Sinking down on it, he took a deep breath. Panicking wouldn't do him any good. He needed to keep a cool head.  
Another message popped up on his phone. This time from Iori asking where the hell he was. Of course, in a far politer way that still managed to sound haughty. He sent back a curt message telling him he was already at the venue. Then he turned his attention back to what Shizuru had messaged him.  
Riku was torn between staying where he was and heading over to his crew to help out. His breathing was beginning to become erratic and it became increasingly difficult to stave off his panic. A third message arrived on his phone.  
Riku forced himself to inhale and exhale as deep as possible. That's right. His crew was the best. They would manage. He would just have to keep himself from going into a panic. His grip on the phone tightened. Deep breaths.

The following hours were a nightmare for Riku. His crew kept him updated by sending him regular messages. At one point he felt like his heart would stop. Shortly afterwards he had to stifle a bout of insane giggling. He had had his suspicions but to hear the confirmation from his crew was something else. Especially since he could practically hear the disbelief through his crew's messages. Perhaps he wouldn't have to worry so much about this incident. He would still have preferred if the incident hadn't happened in the first place.  
When the message came that everything had been resolved, Riku couldn't help but lie down on the bench. No casualties, no injuries. And right in time, too. It wouldn't be long now until Trigger's live performance was scheduled to start.

* * *

The front of the concert hall was bustling. People, mostly women – actually only women as far as Riku could see – were heading towards the entrance. Mitsuki, Sōgo, Iori and their manager had met up with him seconds ago at the bench he had been sitting on for the last three hours or so.  
"Nagi and Tamaki aren't here?!" Mitsuki exclaimed in disbelief. Riku frowned slightly as he sat down on the bench.  
"But it starts in one hour…", Sōgo commented with concern. And he was right to be concerned.  
"I'm sorry! They contacted me saying they'd arrive at noon, but…", Tsumugi reacted immediately and bowed.  
"Manager, if you don't properly manage them at a time like this, then what else could you do!? With this, the same thing will just repeat itself again! There would be no meaning to regrouping!" Iori scolded the girl.  
"Stop it! Manager isn't the one at fault here", Riku snapped his nerves getting the better of him after the emotional roller coaster from earlier. It was no one's fault actually, but it wasn't like he could tell them what was going on. For several reasons. One, they would panic, and two, they would question him on how he was aware of it in the first place.  
"But I am at fault! I'm sorry! I'm really sorry…", their manager repeated with another bow. Riku had to fight the urge to blurt out what was lingering on the tip of his tongue.  
"….. what a cute person", Iori mumbled suddenly.  
"Huh!?" Riku blurted surprised. He had only heard it because Iori was standing right next to him. This kid was a mess of contradictions. Or rather, he created the contradictions himself to hide his true self away unable to do so completely.  
' _Almost like a...…_ ' Riku mused realising too late where his thoughts were going. The thought caused his earlier panic to start bubbling up again.  
"Ahem, it was nothing. In any case, please be careful from now on", Iori responded in an attempt to cover up his slip.  
"The way you show love is gonna invite massive failure one day", Mitsuki commented with fond exasperation which earned him a look from Iori. Riku would have voiced his agreement if it wasn't for the panic he was trying to keep under control.  
"Manager. It's not just Nagi-kun and Tamaki-kun. I can't find Yamato-san either", Sōgo spoke up drawing everyone's attention to himself.  
"Yamato-san as well…?" Tsumugi asked with a note of concern in her voice. She retrieved her phone and attempted to call their three missing members.  
"Seriously!? Just what is our leader doing!?" Mitsuki exclaimed in frustration. Riku had the strong urge to comment this time but his breathing was still giving him trouble.  
"What about their cell phones?" Iori suggested.  
"The call went through. However, an officer came on the line and I'm not sure entirely sure what she said…", Tsumugi revealed.  
"They must have dropped it somewhere. Good grief…", Iori sighed. Riku mentally snorted. If an officer had been on the line they probably just forgot to get their phones back in the hurry of not wanting to be any later than they already were.  
"…Riku-kun, are you all right? You look like you're suffocating", Sōgo, who had noticed Riku's breathing, enquired. Immediately, everyone's attention was on Riku, and it was the kind of attention he hated most.  
"…, I'm fine…. I'm just, a bit nervous…", Riku replied forcing his breathing into a steadier pattern in hopes of appearing less panicked.  
"Why are you nervous? Were you a fan of TRIGGER's?" Mitsuki asked with curiosity. No surprise there. Iori must have told him about the little fight they had had after the younger had walked in on him watching some of TRIGGER's DVDs.  
"No", Riku snorted finding the notion odd. A cough interrupted his snort. He wouldn't say ridiculous since he was sure he would be able to enjoy TRIGGER's music if he managed to sort out his feelings properly. At this point, however, he couldn't imagine himself being a fan of theirs, no matter how skilled and amazing they were.  
"Ah, speaking of, the way you sing is kinda similar to Kujō Ten's", Mitsuki commented. Riku could almost see the gears the turning in Mitsuki's mind.  
"… We aren't similar at a…ha…haa", Riku grit out. His sentence was cut off before he could finish it by his lungs constricting almost painfully. His breathing worsened again.  
"Riku-kun, don't push yourself. Lie down on the bench", Sōgo urged their centre and was at his side in an instant.  
"…I'm sorry…", Riku sighed. He let the older man gently push him down on the bench not having the energy to fight him on this.  
"…Nanase-san. I've thought this for a while now, but that breathing, could it be-", Iori wondered.  
"It's nothing serious! I'm fine… I'm…", Riku yelled interrupting what Iori had been about to reveal. Or perhaps not. As observant as the kid was, it was still possible for him to draw the wrong conclusion.  
"I have to see…the performance of the guy who threw away his family…", Riku heaved. He managed to force his breathing into an almost regular pattern, but it still wasn't back to completely normal.  
"…threw away his family…?" Tsumugi questioned. Riku sighed. He really didn't want to talk about it, but it might be better if they knew. TRIGGER was an idol group and they were going to be one. At some point, they might have to work with TRIGGER. If and when the time came, it would cause fewer problems if his fellow group members already knew.  
"…I have an older twin brother", Riku revealed with hesitance after a short bout of silence.  
"Twins…?" Iori asked with slight surprise. Riku nodded.  
"We're fraternal twins, so we don't really look alike. He's kind and can do anything…. He's especially good at singing and dancing", Riku explained. At least that was how he remembered his brother. There is no telling what had happened in the almost six years they had been separated now. Riku himself had changed a lot and might have his brother.  
"My parents managed an establishment. It was a small show club, but the performances every night were like something out of the dream…. The customers were always smiling", Riku recounted. A nostalgic smile found its way onto his lips.  
"To make up for my parents, who were always busy, my brother took care of me in their place. He would copy the show and sing and dance for me. I'd clap to the beat in my excitement. He was my star", Riku chuckled with a sad undertone.  
"…Riku-san…", Tsumugi breathed. He didn't bother trying to figure out the underlying emotions at the moment. He wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.  
"However, when I was 12, the management began to suffer. It looked like the club would be stolen by someone else in the business", Riku sighed. The unpleasant part of the story began here.  
"It was a large company, one that was connected in the world of show business and a lot of power. My parents worked hard, but they didn't stand a chance against them. In the end, they decided to hand the establishment over", the redhead recounted unable to keep the sadness out of his voice.  
"It was sad, but I thought we could start over again with the whole family…. But…that guy wanted Nī-san. He said Nī-san had the kind of talent you find in someone once every 100 years. My dad got angry, telling him not to screw around, and my mom spread out salt. I clung to Nī-san's hand the entire time", Riku said. His breath hitched for a moment, but he was able to keep the tears at bay. The next part was not going to be easy to tell.  
"But, Nī-san let go of my hand and said "I'll go with you. Please let me study under you."", Riku spilt. His voice became bitter for short instance. Silence reigned between the boys and their manager. No one knew how to respond to that. Riku took a deep breath. The hardest part was next.  
"…that person is Kujō Ten. TRIGGER's centre, Kujō Ten", Riku disclosed without looking at anyone. His gaze was fixed on the pavement.  
"TRIGGER's Kujō Ten is your older brother…!?" Mitsuki exclaimed in disbelief giving voice to the shock all them were feeling. Riku had to take a steadying breath to keep himself calm.  
"So those were your circumstances…", Sōgo concluded once he found his voice again. A nod was Riku's response before he continued on to the last part of his story.  
"…I have no idea…I don't know what he's thinking. I don't know what he thought back then…. Why did he abandon his family? Was standing on stage that important to him? I still don't know, even now…. I want to know. I want to stand I the same place as him, see what he sees, and know what it was he chose with his own hands", Riku stated his voice becoming stronger as he spoke. The last sentence let his determination shine through.  
Riku wanted closure for that part of his life and Kujō Ten's answer to those questions was what he needed to obtain it. There were other reasons he wanted to become an idol, but the others didn't need to know them. They might one day, but today was not that day.

"Ah…! They're here, they're here!" Mitsuki exclaimed out of nowhere stopping any further conversation that may have happened on the topic of Riku's family. Everyone turned to look in the same direction and right in time to see their three missing members come to halt in front of them, out of breath.  
"Sorry, we're late", Nagi apologised while trying to catch his breath. Riku could finally relax now that he knew they had made it to safety without a scratch. Not completely yet, but enough that he was unlikely to have another near attack tonight.  
"What were you doing?" Sōgo asked with soft seriousness. An odd combination in Riku's opinion, but Sōgo made it work somehow.  
"Well, we protected Tokyo's peace, I carried someone and got 21 King Puddings…", Tamaki explained. Or at least tried to. Their youngest member was pretty bad at explaining stuff.  
"Do you take me for an idiot?" Sōgo scowled. Riku sweatdropped at the one-eighty Sōgo was capable of doing at times.  
"But I worked so hard!" Tamaki complained with a loud voice.  
"A lot of things happened. We also met TRIGGER's Kujō Ten", Yamato interjected before things could get out of hand.  
"You met TRIGGER's centre?" Riku asked with surprise colouring his voice. He wondered if he had missed that part somewhere among the messages he had gotten from Shizuru and the other over the last few hours. Or they had simply forgotten to mention it.  
"We'll talk later! The concert will start soon. Let's hurry", Iori threw in reminding everyone why there were her in the first place.

* * *

TRIGGER's live performance had been less of an emotional roller coaster than Riku had expected. He still hadn't been able to sort out his feelings. He also had been worried when their leader had mentioned the condition Ten had been in when they had met him.  
Coming back to the present time, Riku listened to the other's discussing the members of TRIGGER while they were waiting for the seats to empty. They weren't in a hurry, so it would be less stressful if they left the hall once the majority of people had already left.  
"Your brother is amazing, isn't he?" Sōgo directed at Riku gaining his attention. The redhead internally sighed. He didn't really want to talk about his brother at the moment.  
"…Yeah…. Somehow… How do I put it…? I really want to sing, too. I want to sing like that, with a voice that reverberates everywhere, with strong dance steps, with a smile that'll make everyone happy…. I want to sing even better", Riku explained instead of saying what he wanted to say. Not that what he was saying was untrue. He just didn't think saying he found the other two members of TRIGGER far more amazing than his own brother was the right thing to say in such a situation.  
"I want to sing, too…. We've all been holding back for a while now", Sōgo added with a wistful undertone.  
"Yeah…. I wanna dance", Tamaki agreed.  
"Yeah! I wanna have a lot of fun, singing and dancing until sunrise and making a racket!" Mitsuki burst out as they began to leave the hall as well.  
"With everyone!" Nagi continued with excitement.  
"Yeah! With everyone!" Riku cheered. His mood began to lift again. There was no point in moping around. Not when everyone was in such high spirits.  
"We'd meet each other's eyes while dancing! And then turn together!" Mitsuki grinned and spun around to emphasize his point.  
"And when we make a harmony work, we'd make some triumphant pose in our hearts", Yamato added in such a serious voice that Riku could not help but chortle quietly. Unfortunately, their leader heard him and gave him an odd look.  
"We'd keep going until we're tired", Tamaki stated.  
"Ahahaha….! I really like singing. I like listening to everyone's singing. And I like singing with my own body and voice, too!" Riku laughed with joy. A chorus of agreements in various forms followed from the others as they left the hall.

"Ahahaha! TRIGGER's live performance was fun!" Riku exclaimed. Despite his mixed feelings, he did enjoy the live performance. He would have enjoyed it more if not for those feelings. Perhaps one day.  
"It was super fun! Manager, the ban's lifted, right? For dancing and singing?" Mitsuki enquired with their manager.  
"Yes! It's lifted!" Tsumugi confirmed with a bright smile. She had probably been as stressed as the rest of them if not more. Riku smiled as he retrieved his phone. While listening to the excited voices of his group members, he sent a quick message to his crew to let them know they were done.  
"Let's take it from the top! Come on Iori, you, too!" Mitsuki yelled out of nowhere. Riku was barely able to bit back the grin threatening to show on his face.  
"Me, too? In a place like this…" Iori responded in what could only be described as shy. The kid could be cute if he wanted to. Riku stopped fighting the grin as he pocketed his phone.  
"It's fine!" Riku cheered as he swung an arm over Iori's shoulders despite the nagging feeling in the back of his head that they were inviting trouble. He was too drunk on the positive emotions surrounding him to care, though. He heard Iori mumble under his breath as he dragged him along to join the others.  
The seven of them began dancing and singing with joy imitating TRIGGER. They gathered a couple of spectators along the way. It was the most fun they had since forming the group. Their manager, meanwhile, regarded them with a fond and determined smile.

* * *

The door closed behind Riku and he let out a sigh. For a moment, he had considered going back home immediately, but that would have had the possibility to raise suspicions. Therefore, he had decided to return to the dorm with everyone else.  
As he grabbed a couple of things to put in his bag, Riku mused about everyone's reaction to finding out that he was related to Kujō Ten. They had taken it rather well, but it probably hadn't sunk in yet. He would have to wait and see during the next couple of days.  
Riku double checked his bag and made sure his bed looked like he was sleeping in it. Just in case someone decided to check on him during the next few hours. Then he opened the window and jumped out. It was a good thing their rooms were on the first floor. Not that it would matter much if he was honest.  
After a soundless landing, he took a look around. The other rooms were dark. The others must have gone to bed already or still be in the living room. Riku still made sure to duck and crawl past the windows with his body as close as possible to the ground.

It took Riku a bit longer than usual to reach his home due to the unexpected heavy traffic. You would think there would hardly be any cars on the streets around midnight. But not tonight. At one point, he even had to dodge a drunken bicyclist.  
When the redhead finally reached the gates leading to his home, he was only half surprised to see a police officer waiting for him. She was a middle-aged woman with a sharp gaze.  
"Good evening, Ishikawa-san", Riku greeted when he came to halt in front of her. He had been introduced to Ishikawa Miyako by his maternal grandparents five years ago.  
"Evening, Riku-kun", Miyako returned with a small smile. They made some small talk, while Riku led her inside and made them some tea. The pair sat down at one of the kitchen tables.  
"I assume, you know why I am here?" Miyako questioned getting down to business. She was never one to beat around the bush, which he appreciated.  
"I have an idea", Riku admitted. There wasn't much that would make her turn up and wait for him at his house without contacting him first.  
"Your crew was a big help. Some civilians got involved, though", Miyako sighed. The day must have been nerve-wracking for her. She never liked it when civilians got dragged into situations.  
"You remember when I told you I was scouted by an agency of the entertainment industry?" Riku asked her. She frowned for a moment as she recalled the memory. Once she had got a hold of it, she gave a nod.  
"The three of them belong to the same idol group I do", Riku grinned causing Miyako to spit out some of the tea she was sipping. She had clearly not expected that.  
"Shizuru and the others kept me informed during the whole mess", the redhead explained as he handed her a serviette to wipe off the spilt liquid.  
"Was it really a good idea for you to join an idol group? You know, with…", Miyako voiced with a frown on her face. Riku sighed having known, sooner or later, that he would be asked that question.  
"I have my doubts sometimes. Especially, when I realise that I'm getting attached to them…. But it's the decision I made and I'm sticking with it. Once we start something, we finish it", Riku admitted.  
"You members of the Nanase family are so…", Miyako sighed with exasperation. She trailed off being unable to find the correct word for voicing her thoughts. Riku gave a short laugh.  
"That's our charm", Riku grinned accenting his words with a wink. Miyako snorted but did not refute his statement. She had known his parents as well. Though, not as well as his maternal grandparents and himself. She shook her head knowing that was not an argument she would win.  
"Anyway, these are all the documents for the incident", Miyako told him sliding a folder towards him. Back to business. Riku skimmed through the folder giving the occasional hum. When he was through, he thanked for giving him the documents.  
"No problem. Your people were involved as well after all", Miyako responded as she got up from her seat. She had already stayed longer than planned. Riku put the folder back on the table and accompanied her to the entrance door.  
"By the way, that blonde guy…", Miyako voiced with curiosity. It took a moment for Riku to realise who she was asking about. He was quite tired.  
"Rokuya Nagi. He's half Japanese", Riku answered. He helped Miyako into her coat.  
"He's got quite the skills in hand-to-hand combat", Miyako commented. Riku realised she was asking if Nagi was part of his crew. He wasn't sure how much details he should give. Don't get him wrong. She was a very trusted associate, but he would prefer not giving out his group members' personal information without their consent if he could help it.  
"Ah, he's... How do I say this? His background is... interesting", Riku decided to settle on. He wasn't sure if that was an understatement, though. They said their goodbyes and Riku waited until she was out of sight. Then he went back inside planning on spending the rest of the night going through some paperwork.

The moment Riku entered the living room his senses went haywire. His muscles tensed ready to snap into action at any moment. His hand twitched towards the hidden pocket in his pants.  
"Relax", a deep, soft voice said in the calmest manner imaginable. He knew that voice. He relaxed a bit and spread out his senses. He was still wearing his protective gear, but if he concentrated he was able to pick up some scents and noises.  
Two new scents permeated the room. One was a bit stronger. Most likely because there had been some of it lingering from that person's last visit. Riku relaxed completely, now that he was able to identify the two visitors.  
"I do commend you for your alertness and quick reaction", the same voice praised causing a small smile to spread on Riku's face. The redhead turned around to face the two men leaning against the wall.  
"I'm honoured to receive such praise from you, Shishō", Riku returned with the utmost respect. He performed saikairei to show it as well. The moment he was upright again, he had an armful of his second visitor. The impact made him stumble, but he managed to regain his balance at the last moment.  
"Nice to see you, too, Chariot", Riku huffed patting the other man's back. Chariot's hold on him tightened ever so slightly. Riku frowned. Chariot did not mind being touchy with people he considered friends, but the way his hold had tightened spoke of underlying worry. The seconds ticked by. Then it hit Riku why Chariot and his teacher were here.  
"I'm fine. I wasn't even directly involved", Riku assured them. His teacher nodded at him, while he felt Chariot squeeze him before stepping out of the hug. Riku motioned for the two to make themselves comfortable on the couches. He then went to the kitchen to make Oolong tea and prepare a tray with snacks. He brought everything out and put it down on the coffee table.  
"Aren't you two supposed to be in Italy?" Riku asked as he sat down opposite to his two visitors. In an instant, Chariot busied himself sipping his while a light blush dusted his cheeks. Riku arched an eyebrow at his teacher, who merely raised his sleeve-covered hand to hide what was no doubt an amused smile. A light bulb went on in Riku's head.  
"You dropped everything the moment you heard about the incident and dragged Shishō along, didn't you?" Riku deadpanned. The resulting deepening of Chariot's blush was all the answer he needed. His teacher continued to sip his tea in silence content to watch them interact. It had been his teacher, who had introduced him to Chariot in the first place and he couldn't be more grateful for that. It was nice having a friend, who was in a similar position. It made some things easier to talk about.  
"Please tell me that you at least remembered to tell your friends before leaving. I don't fancy them wreaking havoc here", Riku pleaded exasperated. Chariot's friends were even more protective of Chariot than Chariot was of him and that was saying something. Chariot went pale faster than he had ever seen. His cup would have dropped to the floor if Riku's teacher hadn't had such good reflexes. Riku groaned on the inside.  
"Uh oh. I knew there was something I forgot", Chariot mumbled as he patted himself down in search of his mobile phone. Riku prayed that none of Chariot's associates had noticed that he had gone missing or that Gunner had managed to hold them back if they had found out. Come to think of it, it was odd that he hadn't heard anything from Gunner yet. If Chariot knew about the incident, then Gunner did as well. The man would no doubt have some choice words for him. He was rough around the edges and dangerous, but somehow Riku had managed to befriend the man.  
"I think I better head back before they come after me", Chariot, who had been texting frantically, muttered. Riku school his head with fondness as he watched Chariot gulp down his tea in a hurry. Some things never changed. It would be a good idea to message Gunner and let him know to an eye on everyone else until Chariot managed to return.  
"I shall take my leave as well. Thank you for the tea", his teacher thanked him, his calm voice the complete opposite of Chariot's frantic mumbling. It would have been nice to spend some more time catching with them. However, he also knew of the chaos that would erupt should Chariot's friends wreak havoc in the city during their search their search for Chariot. Riku saw his teacher and Chariot off before returning to the living room and cleaning up.  
Once that was done Riku turned to the task he had returned home for in the first place. When he reached his office, Raksha was already lying next to his office chair snoozing away. A soft smile graced Riku's lips as he sat down in his chair. Perhaps he would be able to introduce Raksha to IDOLiSH7 someday. Maybe he would even be able to let them meet Rubina. It might be a thing of the far future, but who knew what the future held in store. With that thought in mind, he went about the dreaded task of organising the Moon Gathering. He hated organising those, but it came with the job. Nothing to be done about it. He just hoped he would get it done fast.

* * *

Since I'll participating in Kinktober, Chapter 5 might be published at the end of November instead of October.


	5. The Seven Who Summon The Storm

IDOLiSH7 resumes their idol activities.

Meanwhile, Riku continues his attempts to navigate his life and meets someone new.

* * *

The sun was already beginning to rise by the time Riku returned to the dorm, which he did the same way he had left. Sneaking beneath the windows like a cat ambushing its prey until he reached his own window. Pushing the window open, the redhead climbed into his room with ease.  
Dropping his bag at the foot of his bed, Riku considered taking a nap. In the end, however, he decided against it since he still had some stuff left to do. He would have preferred to do them at home, but he hadn't wanted to risk his group members finding him gone if any of them decided to wake up for breakfast.  
Riku stretched and rolled his neck before fishing his laptop from his bag. Then he made his way over to his ridiculous sized beanbag and flopped down on it. Starting up his laptop, Riku let a yawn slip through, wishing he could have taken Raksha with him. Raksha had such a soothing presence, it made paperwork so much less annoying to deal with.  
Once his laptop had started up, Riku continued the work he had started at home, banishing all other thoughts from his mind. The faster he got done, the better. And the best way, to achieve that, was to give the task at hand his undivided attention until he was done.

* * *

Clinking noise coming from the direction of the common room alerted Riku to the others being awake. He wasn't completely done with his work yet, but he had got enough done that he could afford to leave on the side for a bit.  
Riku stretched like a cat in the morning sun attempting to work out all the kinks in his muscles. He should ask Chihiro to give him a massage one of these days. Saving his work, he shut down his laptop and set it aside before getting onto his feet.  
As he rubbed the back of his neck, Riku allowed his thoughts to wander to the happenings of the day before with a heavy sigh. His group members had taken the revelation about his brother rather well, but there had been so much happening the day before. He doubted they had had time to give it more than a passing thought.  
"I hope everyone will be acting the same as usual…", Riku murmured to himself as he changed into a new set of clothes. He wondered. Should he tell them about the other issue as well? He pulled on his shirt. No. If he did, they would tell him to quite IDOLiSH7. While that would probably for the better, he wanted to continue singing and dancing. It felt selfish. But there was no use thinking about it. He gave his room a quick once-over before leaving to join the others.

Humming to himself, Riku wandered down the hall at a leisure pace. It would give him time to steel himself for any possible confrontations. Then there was that niggling feeling from the day before coming back. Like he was forgetting something. He would probably remember when he would least expect it.  
Riku put his hand on the handle of the door leading to the common room but did not open the door yet. He remained still for a moment as he gathered his thoughts steeling himself. Then, with a deep breath, he swung the door open.  
"Good morning!" Riku called out as he stepped into the common room. As expected, all the other members were already there eating breakfast.  
"Morning, Riku", Yamato mumbled between taking sips of his coffee. Their leader wasn't a morning person at all. He was like a cat. Riku had to suppress a chuckle as the image of Yamato with cat ears popped into his head.  
"Good morning, Nanase-san", Iori greeted next. Polite and composed as ever. Riku was not sure if he was glad about that or if it irked him.  
"You want breakfast?" Mitsuki chimed in as Riku slid into an open seat. He gave a short affirmative. Now that he thought about it, he was quite hungry. Aside from the cookies he had snacked on when Chariot and his teacher had dropped by, he hadn't actually eaten since his lunch the day before.  
"Should I pour you a cup of coffee?" Sōgo enquired from his spot at the kitchen counter making Riku smile a little.  
"Green tea for today, please", Riku responded. Coffee wouldn't do him any good right now. His nervousness abated somewhat. It was nice that they were acting like always, but he could sense the gears in their head turning a mile a minute as well as underlying emotions. Admiration from Sōgo, awe from Mitsuki and curiosity from Yamato and Iori.

"Rikkun, I heard. So, your older brother is in TRIGGER? I carried him yesterday", Tamaki chipped in with his usual bluntness earning a chuckle from Riku. It wasn't a comfortable topic for him, but as long as it stayed away from certain aspects of the topic, he could deal with it.  
"I heard as well, Tamaki. So just how much of that bomb story was a gag?" Riku asked attempting to stir the conversation into another direction. Just because he could with it didn't mean he wanted to if he could avoid it. Dutifully, he ignored the craving in the back of his mind.  
"It was all true!" Tamaki exclaimed with what could be called light indignation. Not an unexpected reaction.  
"I heard that Japan was a safe place, but it's quite dangerous", Nagi commented with a frown. Japan was one of the safer places, but it also depended on your own circumstances. His group mates just had had bad luck this time around.  
"But in the 22 years I've lived here, I've never encountered an incident like that…", Yamato mused. It was indeed a rare occurrence, but it still happened. Most of the incidents were kept under wrap as much as possible, though. Unless there were major injuries or deaths.  
"Hey, Tamaki…. What was your impression of… my brother…?" Riku hedged unable to fight the thirst to know more in the end.  
"What impression? A good one?" Tamaki responded with confusion. It was adorable in a way.  
"No, not like that. Like, was he worried about his family…? You said he wasn't feeling well, so maybe stuff about that…", Riku clarified squirming in his seat. Why again had he thought it to be a good idea to ask about that? To his bad luck, his squirming didn't escape the keen eye of their second-youngest member.  
"…why are you squirming around like that? Your attitude is completely different from yesterday", Iori pointed out.  
"It is?" Riku countered tilting his head to the side. It wasn't that he disagreed with Iori. He just didn't want to make his self-awareness too obvious at the moment. Iori regarded him in silence for a moment.  
"You want to win over the cold-hearted person that abandoned you, right? You said that with such hatred", Iori stated throwing Riku for a loop.  
"Hatred!?" Riku sputtered. How could Iori mistake determination for hatred? Was it because he hadn't been able to keep the bitterness out of his voice at some points when he had told them about his brother? Plus, he had never said anything about wanting to win his brother over. Merely, that he wanted to know why his brother had left.  
"He's cold-hearted? Then we'll stop talking about him", Tamaki blurted out with a hint of panic. Riku appreciated the sentiment, but it was better to get at least part of this conversation out of the way.  
"Ah, no…", Riku voiced but was unsure how to vocalise what he desired to say. On one hand, he didn't want to stop them from talking about someone they admired. He wasn't blind. Well, not completely while wearing his special contacts. It was easy to figure out that his fellow group members admired TRIGGER in one way or another as an idol group. On the other hand, he did not want them to ask too many questions about his relationship with Kujō Ten.  
"Don't worry. You'll win against him. Someone with as high a vocal ability as you can surely overtake someone so cruel…", Iori asserted. Under other circumstances, he might have been happy about the compliment, but he didn't like Iori assuming things.  
"Isn't stuff like "cold-hearted" and "cruel" going a bit too far", Riku sighed feeling like this was going to end in another mess.  
"You said it yourself, did you not!?" Iori shot back. Riku bit back another heavy sigh. What a way to start the day.  
"I never said he was cold-hearted or cruel. Yes, most people would automatically assume I would label him as such with what I told you yesterday, but he could have his own circumstances", Riku explained with a patience he didn't really feel. Was that his bed calling out to him? A nice nap would be heaven at this point.  
"…? So then, rather than winning against him, you want him to be on good terms with you again?" Iori demanded, the confusion clear in his voice. It would have been funny if not for the current situation.  
"Please stop putting words in my mouth. I never said I wanted to be on good terms with him", Riku retorted, voice strained. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt annoyance well up within him.  
"…? Which is it?" Iori challenged with frustration leaking into his voice. Riku took deep breaths. He needed to remain calm. Exploding at the younger man wouldn't do anything but worsen the situation.  
"I understand. You feel gratitude and affection for your family, but that's exactly why you feel such deep discontent", Sōgo spoke up coming to Riku's rescue and drawing everyone's attention to him. Riku mulled over the words for a brief moment.  
"Ah…. Yeah, that might be it…", Riku conceded slowly. Or at least part of it. The words did resonate with him, but not to the extent that would let him say with complete certainty that it was the sole reason for his inability to work out his feelings when it came to his brother. For a brief moment, Riku wondered if Sōgo understood because he, too, had left his family. However, he could dwell on that another time.  
"How complicated", Iori muttered loud enough for everyone to hear. Riku mentally snorted. That was quite the understatement. Not that Iori could know that. Not with the limited knowledge he had about Riku's circumstances.  
"Iori, you're sensitive, but your motives and objectives are totally consistent. Maybe it's just complicated for you to understand more complicated thought processes?" Mitsuki mused out loud. Riku fought against the twitch of his lip.  
"… I can understand that much", Iori protested with a put off face. Sometimes, the kid could be cute. Riku would be given an earful, though, if he was to voice that thought.  
"Don't tire yourself out" Tamaki offered meaning well. Or perhaps he was joining in on the teasing with full awareness.  
"I don't exactly want to be told that by you!" Iori scoffed with a clenched fist. Other than that, he gave no indication of being angered.  
"All I'm saying is that if we act without figuring out our common ground, we'll end up with half-baked results. If you want to get along with him, then do so. If you want to beat him, then do so. Isn't it fine to just rely on one of those feelings with everything you have?" Iori continued turning his attention back to Riku. The redhead didn't doubt that the younger one meant well, despite how infuriating he could be. There was just the problem of Iori's limited knowledge, which was in part Riku's fault.  
"It's not as simple as cleaning out a bookshelf…", Riku sighed deciding there wasn't any point in arguing any further with Iori. He wasn't ready to reveal the full scope of his circumstances. He might never be.  
"It doesn't have to be. I'm saying this because if you don't sort things out and analyse yourself, then you'll regret it later", Iori stated plain and simple.  
Riku did not answer. He knew better than anyone else that he needed to sort out his feelings and emotions. He had been trying to sort out everything concerning his brother for years, but unless he had the answer to certain questions, there would always be an underlying confusion. The only one, who had the answer to these questions, was Kujō Ten. Without his answers, Riku would never be sure of his feelings. There were too many unknown variables without those answers.  
"Well, there are bookshelves that are hard to sort out. The sizes and genres are all over the place, and you can't just throw away books not looking like you've read them. Right, Riku?" Yamato commented drawing Riku back to reality.  
"Yes…", Riku agreed unsure if there was anything, he could add to that. He still threw an appreciative and understanding look at their leader. Surprise flitted across the older man's face before a small frown followed. Perhaps that was a bit too much. He didn't have time to dwell on it as Nagi's voice reached his ears.  
"However, it's mysterious. If Kujō-shi was aiming to be in showbiz, then wouldn't Riku have made for a suitable partner?" Nagi wondered causing Riku to wince on the inside. This was heading into a dangerous direction.  
"Yeah, since Riku's good at singing. Didn't you ever talk about working together? Why not? Did you not get along?" Mitsuki added on firing question after question. Riku's chest tightened as if his lungs were being squeezed.  
"…. That's…", Riku hesitated, avoiding eye contact with his group members. His hands dug into the fabric of his trousers.  
"Maybe they were like rivals. He seemed like he had high professionalism. Is there any other reason he wouldn't ask you?" Yamato pondered tapping his chin. The redhead could feel his nails through the fabric of his trousers as he remained silent.  
"Nanase-san?", Iori enquired with a frown marring his face. Riku would have found it funny if the younger one wasn't so damn observant.  
"Are you all right…? That reminds me, you didn't seem well yesterday, either", Sōgo cautioned, worry bleeding into his voice.  
"No! I'm fine!" Riku cried out. Part of it was reflex, part of it was fear. He couldn't let them find out. Not at this point. Maybe not ever. But this would be the worst timing for them to find out.  
"You don't have much stamina, so you should exercise to increase your endurance! Get yourself fired up and do your best!" Mitsuki cheered pumping his fist in the air.  
"Yes! I'll work hard!" Riku responded with enthusiasm ignoring the stare he could feel boring into his side. Not that stamina was actually the issue. His recent lack of sleep was the underlying cause of it. One would think, he would have got used to periods with less sleep after five years. However, it still affected his condition.  
"Well then. Why don't I take an iron to my suit today?", Yamato mused diverting the conversation.  
"Do you have something you need to do?" Mitsuki asked with an arched eyebrow.  
"Not really. Just cleaning out my closet", Yamato laughed. Now it was Riku's turn to arch an eyebrow. While none of the others seemed to find that odd, Riku could sense that there was more to Yamato's comment than he let on. As if summoned, the nagging feeling he had returned with a vengeance.

The remainder of their breakfast passed with relative normality. There was some bickering, some laughing and an almost food fight. When they were done, they all cleaned up together before separating for the day. Since they were off, each of them had their own plans.  
Well, most of them were off. Tamaki and Iori had to attend school. Mitsuki decided to drag Sōgo to the shop his parents owned. Nagi, Yamato, and Riku stayed behind in the dorm Nagi was going to watch his beloved anime without a doubt. Yamato would be "cleaning out his closet" as he had said. While Riku was curious about Yamato's plans, he had no intention of snooping around. Plus, this was a good opportunity to catch up on some sleep. After he had made some phone calls, that is.  
Letting his bedroom door close with a soft click, Riku stretched with a drawn-out yawn. His phone calls were quick and uncomplicated for which he was thankful. His crew would stop by during the next couple of days to debrief properly. Until then, he could concentrate on other things.  
After placing his phone on his bedside table, Riku let himself fall face-first onto his bed. A heavy sigh left his lips before he curled up hugging his pillow. A frown marred his face and unshed tears glistened in his eyes.  
"If I had had a healthy body back then…. Would he have invited me? Would he have asked me to stand with him on stage…?" Riku mumbled, voice vulnerable, and buried his face into his pillow. He knew there was no point in dwelling on the past, but he couldn't help but yearn for it, couldn't help question and wonder how things would be today if the past had been different. His mind continued wandering the halls of his memories as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next day, IDOLiSH7 was called to the office. Despite the serious conversation from the day before, everyone was in high spirits now that they were allowed to sing and dance again. Their spirits were lifted even more when the president announced a new song.  
"Our new song!?" Riku blurted excitement bubbling up beneath his skin. That was somewhat unexpected, and he could feel the surprise rolling off his fellow group members as well.  
"Yes. It's a song fitting of your new sense of unity, and the vigour you have towards your dream. The most important thing for singing isn't technique. It's your heart. I've been waiting for a long time for you to be ready to sing this. As you are now, you can sing it perfectly", Otoharu revealed. The confidence he held in them was clear to all of them. Riku felt nostalgy well up. For a brief moment, the president had reminded him of his maternal grandparents. His grandmother in particular. _The most important thing isn't skill, my dear. It's your heart._ The words resonated in his mind, the memory of her voice clear as the cleanest water.  
"Alright! A new song!" Mitsuki burst with vigour drawing Riku back to present.  
"I have one more song!" Nagi exclaimed, stars shining in his eyes. Riku senses Mitsuki's reaction in an instant and backed away a couple of steps.  
"They aren't just yours, you know!" Mitsuki scolded. Though, he couldn't rid his voice of all the excitement, which made for an amusing mix.  
"Oh, my mistake. We have one more song!" Nagi corrected himself with just as much enthusiasm as before causing Riku to smile with fondness. Their president cleared his throat reclaiming their attention.  
"You'll need to learn new choreography, so you'll be getting busier from now on. You'll present your new song at a train station in the centre of the city. I've already gotten permission to use that area. Have you prepared yourselves?" Otoharu informed them. A chorus of enthusiastic affirmatives resounded.  
"By the way, there's something I'd like to ask", Iori piped up once everyone had calmed down. The president made an acknowledging sound to signal that he could go ahead with his question.  
"Who is it that makes our songs?" Iori enquired, voice even with the barest hint of curiosity. Riku could tell with ease that the others were just as curious.  
"Fufufu. That's a corporate secret. Breathe life into these songs, so that many people will hear them. Everyone, I leave it to you", Otoharu remarked. That was curious. With that, the president left the training room.  
"Saying something like it being a corporate secret, even the president is putting on airs", Mitsuki mused crossing his arms behind his head.  
"Maybe it's the president himself that makes them? It felt like he's emotionally attached to them", Riku suggested with a shrug of his shoulders causing Tsumugi to wonder if her father was capable of that. Then she caught sight of the clock.  
"Ah, I apologise. I'll be going out for a bit", Tsumugi remarked. Riku grimaced as he picked up on the underlying nervousness in her movements.  
"Oh, it's dangerous for a woman to walk alone. I'll go with you. I'll be your knight", Nagi offered going down on one knee as if he were about to propose.  
"Ahaha. Oh no, you don't have to…", Tsumugi waved off with a small laugh. Nagi's usual antics seemed to at least calm her nerves a bit.  
"I'll go", Yamato stated causing everyone to whip their head towards him. Something poked at the back of Riku's mind.  
"Oh, that's unfair, Yamato! Doing something like sneaking out and rendezvousing with the Manager…", Nagi wailed, which would have hilarious if Riku didn't feel like he was about to be hit with a hammer.  
"I was up all night thinking of a date plan. Let me have it this time", Yamato responded with good-naturedness. Something didn't fit. Riku wouldn't call their leader a closet pervert, but he did sometimes give off that vibe. Still, Yamato didn't seem like the type to sneak out on a date with their manager.  
"Well then, Manager, can you wait out front for me?" Yamato directed towards a befuddled Tsumugi, who could only stammer an agreement. The two left leaving the rest of them with various degrees of confusion and incredulousness.

* * *

Riku leaned against the wall next to the open window. The others had already left for the training room after they had decided to start practicing. Riku had told them he would join them a bit later as he wanted to catch a bit of fresh air before they started practicing. With closed eyes, he listened to the sound drifting in.  
"… a date…. Did Yamato-san say that seriously? Normally I can't really tell what he's up to, but he is older, and an adult, and surprisingly proactive…", Tsumugi's wondered her voice barely being heard by Riku. It was kind of cute. Proactive was not a word he would associate with their leader on a regular basis, but he had been surprisingly so today.  
"Sorry, I made you wait." Seemed Yamato was done getting dressed. Riku removed one of his earplugs in order to hear their voices better. He didn't like eavesdropping, but he felt this was important.  
"Wah…! Ah…. I-it's fine. Um…." A small chuckle escaped Riku as he listened to Tsumugi's stammering. She was adorable.  
"You're going to TRIGGER's office to apologise for the other day, right? I'll go with you." Riku sobered up in an instant at those words. The proverbial hammer slammed into him causing him to wince.  
"…you realised…? I can't make you come with me. This is my job…." Riku let his head thud against the wall. If anyone should accompany their manager, it should be him. He had been the one to convince everyone to dance and sing in front of the stadium. A sigh escaped him. They probably wouldn't let him go, though, after what he had told them yesterday.  
"I can't let you bear the brunt of this alone, can I? Despite appearances, I am technically the leader, after all. Just think of me as a fender and let me stand beside you." A fender, huh? Riku let his eyes slide open as he dwelled on that thought.  
"Don't worry. This isn't something the others can do, but I'm good at it. Whenever mud gets thrown at IDOLiSH7, I'll take it from the front." Riku dragged a hand over his face. The allusion to Yamato's private life was not lost on him after the digging he had done into his fellow group members' backgrounds.  
"Drawing damage to himself…" Riku murmured to himself eyes narrowing. There were so many similarities among the members of IDOLiSH7 to certain characteristics valued among his crew, it was scary.  
"You're a mysterious person, Yamato-san. You seem to like doing things at your own pace, but could it be you actually care about the members the most…?" A smile bloomed on Riku's face at their manager's words.  
"Hold it. If you intend to say embarrassing lines like that, I'll turn around right now." Riku's shoulder began shaking with soundless laughter. He would have never thought that he would associate cuteness with their leader, but he couldn't help but think of their leader's reaction as being cute.  
As Riku listened to the rest of the conversation, he managed to get his laughter under control. By the time, it had vanished, and he could breathe again, the pair had been gone for some time. With a huff, Riku slid down the wall and settled on the ground.  
At least, Riku knew now why he had had that constant nagging feeling at the back of his mind. Looking back on it, their actions after the live performance could be misinterpreted with ease regardless of their intentions. He had dealt with Yaotome Sōsuke before. The man was sure to use this incident against them. How the members of TRIGGER saw the incident, he couldn't assess. He didn't know them well enough for that.  
Riku heaved himself to his feet. There wasn't much he could do about it at the moment. Perhaps, he could find another opportunity to apologise to them in person later on. For now, though, he had other matters that required his attention.

* * *

Light-headedness started overcoming Riku in the middle of practice. It had gone well so far despite missing their leader. The redhead shook his head in an attempt to clear his head. No luck.  
"… all right, we're in perfect shape! Let's keep going like this to the end!" Mitsuki cheered. Riku couldn't help but smile at the enthusiasm, despite feeling like he could barely breathe. Mitsuki was their mood make, after all.  
"Wait. Why don't we take a short break?" Sōgo suggested with worry on his voice. Riku didn't like that tone at all.  
"Why?...ah…", Mitsuki responded his eyes falling onto Riku, who was wheezing for air. The redhead cursed himself. He had been fine until just a moment ago. His medication must be wearing off. The evening of TRIGGER's live performance had been a close call as well.  
"Riku-kun, are you all right?" Sōgo enquired. The tone reminded Riku of his mother whenever he had been sick as a child.  
"… I'm fine…. Please continue…", Riku implored forcing his breathing to calm down. He would probably regret it later, but he didn't see any other option at the moment.  
"Don't worry, you don't have to work so hard. Let's take a tea break", Nagi proposed. It was easy to see that he was a bit worried as well.  
"Riku, you get tired pretty easily, huh? Will you be able to do a two to three hour live performance like this?" Mitsuki asked. Riku knew the older man didn't mean it in a bad way and was genuinely worried for him. Still, Riku bristled at the words on instinct.  
"…I can…. I can do it", Riku asserted. His lungs felt less like they were being put through a wringer by now. Breathing still didn't come easy, though.

"Nanase-san, do you have a moment?" Iori requested taking Riku by surprise. A foreboding feeling spread throughout Riku's being as the separated from the others. The look on Iori's face couldn't mean anything good for him.  
"Please turn around", Iori demanded. Despite his apprehension, Riku did as requested. The moment he felt Iori's head against his back, his entire body tensed.  
"Wah−…. Don't put your face to someone's back so suddenly…", Riku forced out as he battled his instincts. A constant mantra of ' _don't throw him over your shoulder_ ' echoed through Riku's head as he forces his body to remain still.  
"…so, you are wheezing…. Nanase-san, could you…", Iori mumbled as he listened to Riku's breathing. Screw battling his instincts.  
"Shut up!" Riku hissed twirling around with surprising speed and clamped his hand over Iori's mouth, while his other arm hooked beneath the younger man's armpit. It took Iori a moment to remove his hand.  
"Don't cover up my mouth!" Iori spat out in anger. Riku's own annoyance flared up, but it wouldn't do any good to act on it.  
"…ha…. I'm begging you, please keep quiet. Don't tell anyone else…", Riku pleaded voice strained as he tried to keep his breathing under control. He had a good idea of what Iori had figured out. Or what Iori though he had figured out. Why did he have to catch a chest infection at a time like this?  
"Even if you try to keep this a secret, you'll be found out as soon as you stan on sta−…mmmmm", Iori countered, but Riku covered his mouth again stopping him from finishing his sentence.  
"It'll be fine! I'll absolutely…see it through to the end!" Riku declared with conviction. His breathing eased up at last as Iori remained quiet. When it looked like Iori would comply with him, he removed his hand and turned back to the others.  
"Sorry, everyone. I'm fine now", Riku called out as he walked back to the others. Iori trailed after him in silence.  
"Really? You don't have to push yourself", Sōgo offered, worry still evident in his voice. While they probably hadn't heard what the talked about with Iori, they had most likely seen their interaction.  
"Yes, I'm fine! Let's continue!" Riku laughed with enthusiasm despite the uncomfortable stare of Iori's boring into his back. He needed to take his medication after they were done with their practice.

Practice resumed. Their timing began to match more and more. At some point, Banri stopped by with karaage bento, which led to them taking a short break. There was also a short conversation between Tamaki and Sōgo that had Riku pay careful attention in case he needed to do damage control. However, the chat was interrupted by their second youngest member.  
"Everyone, please listen to me. There's something important I'd like to discuss", Iori spoke. Alarm bells rang in Riku's mind. Oh, hell, no.  
"I told you to stop, didn't I!?" Riku snapped. At that moment, he didn't care what the others thought of his behaviour, but he could not let Iori voice the conclusion he had come to. It didn't matter if he had the right or wrong one.  
"Oh, what is it?" Nagi questioned, oblivious to the tension rising between Iori and Riku. Riku grit his teeth as panic began brewing in his chest.  
"Ahahahaha! Sorry, it's nothing. Please don't worry about what Iori's saying", Riku laughed. He winced. The laughs sounded forced even to his own ears.  
"Nanase-san, this is something we should tell everyone. You−…mmmmm", Iori countered but was once again cut off by one of Riku's hand's covering his mouth. Riku prayed that it wouldn't become a regular occurrence.  
"Ah, that's right! You're all thirsty, right? I'll go out with Iori and buy some drinks", Riku offered, hoping his diversion wasn't too obvious. Even if it was, they would probably think he and Iori were just arguing over something silly.  
"Thanks! I'd like melon soda", Nagi piped up.  
"I want King Pudding", Tamaki drawled. Mitsuki and Sōgo shook their head indicating that they were fine.  
"Melon soda and King Pudding, right!? Ok, ok! Come on, let's go, Iori", Riku chirped and dragged Iori away. As they left, he could faintly hear Mitsuki wondering what was up with them.

By the time Iori managed to remove Riku's hand from his mouth, they were two blocks away from the agency. Thankfully, Iori seemed to occupied with his conclusion to notice Riku's odd display of strength.  
"Hold on! Let go of me!" Iori groused trying to wrestle his wrist from Riku's hold.  
"It's fine, just come with me!" Riku demanded but let go of Iori's wrist before turning around causing them to come to a stop.  
"Say, Iori, what do you like?" Riku asked with contemplation colouring his voice. He wasn't keen on what he was about to do.  
"What?" Iori blurted. The look on his face would have been hilarious, if not for the current situation and Riku being in survival mode.  
"I'll buy whatever it is you like. I am older than you, after all. How about ice cream? Or takoyaki?" Riku urged as his chest tightened again.  
"…amazing…. Are you trying to bribe me?" Iori noted in amazement. He sounded as if he thought Riku was too naïve to be capable of bribery. If only he knew.  
"Yes", Riku stated flatly. Not that he was proud of it. Iori just had a way of making him react in the worst ways possible.  
"And with cheap confectioneries on top of that!" Iori continued as if he hadn't heard Riku. Maybe he hadn't. Or he had chosen to ignore it. Or he hadn't really processed it yet.  
"Fine. Just tell me what you want, and I'll buy it for you", Riku sighed hoping Iori would let himself be bribed, even if it made him feel tremendous guilt afterward.  
"That's out of question. We're going back to the agency, and you're going to confess to Manager and the other members. Riku-san, you have asth−…mmmmm", Iori argued. Once again, Riku silenced the younger man by putting his hand over his mouth. He hadn't missed Iori's use of his given name, but that was not important at the moment. At least, he knew now which conclusion Iori had drawn.  
"I asked you not say it, didn't I!?" Riku hissed with a mild glare. This time, he didn't put up any resistance when Iori pried his hand of his mouth.  
"Could you please stop putting your hand over my mouth like some lid!? Do you think I'm a pot!?" Iori sputtered in indignation. Riku snorted silently. Bribery hadn't worked. Back to the other tactic.  
"Please, don't tell anyone! I can't be a bother for everyone…! Even if I die, I'll dance to the end!" Riku begged while praying that this would work. In this instant, he regretted agreeing to be scouted by Takanashi Productions. He knew, he wouldn't always be all right, that, sometime, he would be a bother because of his other line of work. At the same time, he finally could do something that he had craved for years.  
"Please", Riku repeated his plea putting all the emotions he felt at the thought of not being able to dance and sing with IDOLiSH7 anymore. Yearning. Sadness. And perhaps a hint of panic. Though, that might be a remnant of his earlier panic.  
"… Nanase-san. I'm not saying this be cheeky or malicious", Iori sighed. Riku was aware of that, but he knew the moment they told the others, he would most likely be asked to quit being an idol. That might be for the better if his other line of work was considered. However, deep down he knew that this wasn't something he wanted to give up on easily. Plus, there a lot of other factors to consider. His condition was rarely a hindrance as long as he was careful, but things had just been too busy and chaotic in recent weeks for him to take care of himself properly. Which, admittedly, was partly his own fault.  
"Your vocals are IDOLiSH7's weapon. You could even call them our greatest weapon. As long as we have you, then IDOLiSH7 will be absolutely able to reach a place in the sun one day", Iori divulged leaving Riku speechless for a moment. He had not expected that.  
"…Iori…are you praising me…?" Riku hedged, unsure if he maybe had fainted and was dreaming all of this.  
"…do I have to spell it out for you?" Iori groused, a light blush staining his cheeks pink. Not a dream then.  
"Ah, no…. I'm just surprised. …I'm happy. Really…. Thank you, Iori…", Riku disclosed with a small smile. Iori really wasn't a bad person, but he was just as bad at communication of feelings as Riku used to be. Well, he still was with people he didn't know well enough yet to place his trust in them.  
"…. Please listen to the end", Iori rebutted making Riku sweatdrop. Of course, there would be more. Riku chose to stay silent this time and merely nodded.  
"Your vocals can become a weapon. And because of that…. Any problems that you have could become the worst of bombs for the group. In the worst case, it could cost us our careers", Iori explained. There it was. The thoughts that had been plaguing Riku's subconsciousness. Except, it wasn't his condition that could cost them their career. No, what could cost them their careers, were the secrets Riku kept.  
"…. I know…. I understand that. But…I want to do this with everyone…. I want to be everyone…. I want to be with IDOLiSH7", Riku declared, the conviction in his voice surprising even himself. Realisation dawned on him and in that moment, he felt like a freight train had run him over. He had got attached. Too attached. A litany of swear words flew through Riku's mind. He needed space.  
Riku's phone ringing stopped anything else that might have been said. The redhead checked the message, his blood running cold when he read its contents. This was the worst timing.  
"Sorry, Iori, but can you head back without me? A friend of mine ended up in the hospital", Riku stressed as he pocketed his phone. Worry for his friend filled him pushing everything else away. He turned on his heels, Iori's shout of his name barely registering. But he paid it no mind as he sprinted down the road. At that moment, Iori telling the others about his conclusion took a back seat. This took priority.

* * *

There had been another incident between Iori and Riku in which Iori had tried to get Riku to admit to his condition. Of course, Riku had tried to evade it by saying he had just caught a cold. It hadn't been a total lie. He had still been recovering from pneumonia caused chest infection.  
Iori had reluctantly admitted that he was worried about Riku and threatened to tell the others if the redhead wouldn't listen to him. He had pointed out that could hear Riku's wheezing and asked him about seeing a doctor, which Riku had waved off and indirectly admitted that he wasn't in top condition.  
The younger man had gone on to reveal that he had looked into Riku's condition and questioned him on triggers and such, questioned him if he could go through a three-hour live performance. Riku had said that he could. They had argued about ideals and Riku had briefly given Iori a hard attack by saying he would rather put in a hundred years' worth of singing and die than living to be a hundred years old.  
Riku smiled at the memory of Iori slipping up and saying he had chosen Riku as IDOLiSH7's centre. Riku had decided to give the younger man a break and mention that it had been Manager who chose him. There had been no reason to let Iori know that he knew what was going on behind the scenes.  
They had ended the evening on a lighter note with some mutual teasing. That had been one and a half weeks ago right before his trip to Okinawa. The agency and his group members thought that the trip was for familiar reasons, which was not a lie. There were just some additional details they were not aware of.

Now, after a week in Okinawa, Riku was back in Tōkyō. The streets were bustling with the usual early evening rush hour. Riku dodged people left and right on auto-pilot as he skimmed through his phone to catch up on all the emails he had missed during his trip. Then Riku turned a corner. He was met with a wall. Or at least it felt like a wall.  
"悪さいびーん (Wassaibīn | Sorry)", Riku apologised, forgetting that he was not in Okinawa anymore for a moment, as he stumbled back.  
" **It's fine. I wasn't paying attention either** ", a smooth voice responded as arms wrapped around Riku keeping him from falling to the ground.  
" **Thank you** ", Riku breathed in relief and looked up. His mouth fell open as he was met with the face of TRIGGER's eldest member, Tsunashi Ryūnosuke. He watched as golden eyes widened in surprise, mouth beginning to form what was most likely going to be a question. Sudden shrieks exploded from somewhere in the general vicinity causing the two men to flinch.  
A hand shot out and grabbed Riku's wrist before he was suddenly dragged away. The redhead doubted Ryū was aware of his actions and had acted on pure instinct. He managed to keep up with the older man's stride with ease as they ran down the streets.

The duo came to a halt several blocks down in an empty park. Ryū bent down bracing himself on his knee with his free hand while catching his breath. Riku, who was hardly out of breath, waited with patience for the older man to calm his breathing.  
" **Sorry about that. Fans can be pretty scary sometimes** ", Ryū breathed as he straightened up wiping across his chin with the sleeve of his jacket.  
" **It's fine. I've been through weirder stuff** ", Riku replied as the brunet turned to face him. For a moment, Ryū did nothing but stare at him. Riku could see the gears turn in his head as realisation dawned on him. Surprise rolled off of TRIGGER's eldest member before giving way to another emotion.  
" **You speak Uchināguchi** ", Ryū marvelled his hold on Riku's wrist tightening slightly. Riku blinked in confusion as the words filtered into his mind. A few seconds of silence went by before the metaphorical light bulb went on. He had been speaking Uchināguchi forgetting that he was back in Tōkyō. Well, he had been speaking Uchināguchi only for the last week.  
" **Yes, I do** ", Riku replied scratching his cheek a sudden unexplainable feeling of shyness and embarrassment overcoming him. The wonder on Ryū's face morphed into unabashed excitement causing Riku's embarrassment to rise.  
" **That's amazing! This is the first time I've met someone outside Okinawa speaking my native language** ", Ryū beamed with excitement. Riku could do nothing but stare in surprise. He had not expected that reaction at all.  
" **This may sound weird, but would you mind spending some more time with me? I don't get to speak my native language often these days** ", Ryū said with a boyish grin. Riku felt like his brain was working overtime with one surprise coming his way one after another.  
" **Uh, I don't really mind** ", Riku responded as he mentally checked his schedule. He wasn't expected back by the others until the next day since he had planned to spend the first night back in his own home, to begin with. Ryū's excitement made it difficult to say no and he had no concrete plans anyway.  
" **Great! I'm Tsunashi Ryūnosuke, by the way** ", Ryū responded with a blinding smile causing a light blush to creep onto Riku's face. For being ranked the number two guy people wanted to be embraced by, the brunet was surprisingly cute.  
" **Nanase Riku. Pleased to meet you** ", Riku returned with a small smile. The redhead then remembered that Ryū was still holding onto his wrist and looked down. The older man followed his gaze. The reaction was immediate as Ryū dropped his wrist and stammered out apologies. Riku couldn't help but chuckle at the cuteness of it.  
" **It's okay. It didn't bother me** ", Riku smiled pushing a strand of hair behind his ears. Ryū's stream of stuttered apologies stopped as he rubbed at his neck with a light blush staining his cheeks. Riku wondered how such a sexy man could be so cute at the same time.  
" **Soooooo, how about some tea?** " Ryū asked looking to the side. Yes, adorable indeed.  
" **Lead the way** ", Riku grinned linking his arm with Ryū's causing a small sputter to leave the older man. Riku half expected him to pull away. To his surprise, Ryū angled his arm to allow Riku's to lay comfortably on his own before leading the way.

As they walked, they talked about everything and nothing. At one point, Riku began wondering where the older man was taking him. They had been strolling through the streets for some time. Thankfully, without any more interruptions from fans.  
Not long after, they arrived at a condominium building. Riku let the brunet lead him into the building and towards the lift greeting the doorkeeper. They entered the lift and the brunet pressed the button for the highest floor.  
Halfway through the lift ride, Riku stopped mid-sentence as realisation hit him like a freight train. He barely managed to keep back his laugh. A chuckle still made it past his lips causing Ryū's to look at him with undisguised curiosity. Time to have a little fun.  
" **Taking me back to your place…. As expected from TRIGGER's wild and sexy beast** ", Riku purred with a teasing smirk displayed on his lips, eyes half-lidded as he looked up Ryū. He could see the gears turning in Ryū's mind as the brunet processed Riku's words.  
" **Huh, wah, no, I, uh** ", Ryū flailed as an adorable blush spread across his face. The brunet stammered through words in panic. Having done some research about TRIGGER's members when they first appeared on the entertainment landscape, the reaction was not really a surprise to Riku.  
The redhead couldn't hold it any longer and broke out in bell-like laughter. Part of him registered Ryū calming down and looking at him in wonder as he supported himself by clinging to Ryū's arms. The lift dinged as it signalled their arrival on the highest floor. The doors opened. Riku, who was calming down from his laughter attack, began dragging the older man out.  
" **I'm just teasing** ", Riku chuckled patting Ryū's shoulder with one hand. The blush from earlier came back full force. Riku continued to smile up at Ryū as the other tried to calm himself down.  
" **Uh, tea?** " Ryū squeaked out. Riku decided to take pity on the older man. He gave the man a wide smile.  
" **Some green tea would be lovey** ", Riku hummed. Ryū seemed to have picked up his courage and began leading the redhead down the corridor until they reached a door labelled with Ryū's family name.

* * *

As the evening progressed, Ryū and Riku chatted, watched TV and had tea with cookies. Their topics ranged from discussing current trends in Japan's entertainment industry to the general occurrences throughout the world. During a lull in their conversations, Riku made up his mind. This was quite a good opportunity after all.  
" **Tsunashi-san, I would like to apologise for the trouble I caused after TRIGGER's last live performance** ", Riku hedged making sure to look the other in the eyes without wavering. It seemed to take the older man a moment to understand what he was talking about.  
" **You're a part that idol group, Idol…?** " Ryū questioned with a frown appearing to stumble over their group name.  
" **IDOLiSH7. I'm their centre** ", Riku confirmed with a small smile waiting for the other man's reaction with patience. His frown deepened as he seemed to come to a realisation.  
" **Wait, what do you by 'I'?** " Ryū asked raising his eyes to look at the redhead. Riku wasn't sure if he should be surprised or not that the older man had zeroed in on that.  
" **I was the one who convinced the others to dance and sing after the live performance. I kind of forgot what would look like others** ", Riku clarified and continued to explain the situation. He told Ryū about the ban they had had to endure and that there had been no bad intentions at all.  
" **So, it was like that. I can sort of understand** ", Ryū sighed after Riku was done. Ryū carded a hand through his hair and let it rest on his neck.  
" **Please keep it to yourself, though** ", Riku smiled causing Ryū to look at him in surprise with an arched eyebrow.  
" **Manager and Yamato-san already went to Yaotome Productions to apologise. I just wanted to take the opportunity to apologise in person. Plus, President Yaotome has quite the reputation** ", Riku clarified scratching his cheek. Ryū's response was a chuckle of his own that clearly said he understood where Riku was coming from. The brunet's gaze landed on the clock.  
" **Ah! It's already pretty late. I'll ready the guest room** ", Ryū stated getting up from the couch. Riku turned his head to look at the clock as well. It was indeed quite late.  
" **It's fine. I don't live that far from here and I don't have an early day tomorrow** ", Riku waved of getting to his feet as well.  
" **Nonsense. You can borrow some nightwear from me. There's no way I would let you got home alone at this hour** ", Ryū asserted his gaze boring into Riku. The redhead sighed as he surrendered raising his arms in front of him. If he remembered correctly, the older man had three younger siblings, one of which was close Riku in age. Brotherly instincts weren't something he would mess with.  
That, and it would be nice to get more than his usual one to five hours of sleep depending on his workload. Granted, he had gotten more sleep in Okinawa, but it would probably be back to his usual pattern once he was back at the dorm.  
" **All right. I yield** ", Riku smiled with fondness. He was rewarded with a blinding smile making Riku feel warm on the inside. While Ryū busied himself with preparing the guest room for Riku, the redhead send a message to his crew to let them know that he was spending the night elsewhere in case they dropped by his house.

* * *

The day of IDOLiSH7's performance in front of the trains station arrived. However, the weather wasn't on their side. It had been pouring. Circumstances weren't on Riku's side either. His ribs were still hurting from the impact they had received earlier this morning.  
In the end, they still decided to perform since they were already wet, and it didn't seem like it was going to let up any time soon. Plus, it would be a distraction for the people, who had to wait until the trains started running again.  
Riku chose to ignore Iori's stare as they took their place. Music came on and Riku lost himself in the song and the dance movements. The rain against his skin felt nice despite the coolness. He would pull through no matter what.

Across the town, the members of TRIGGER's were waiting out the typhoon at the agencies. They were each doing their own thing, the TV running in the background to drown out the storm. Ryū was reading a book when his ears picked up a familiar sound causing him to look at the TV screen in time to see Riku and his group members being shown for a split second.  
"…this voice…", Ten murmured causing Ryū to look at him in surprise. He had recognised Riku's voice with ease after all the hours they had spent talking with each other. Riku had even sung one of his favourite Okinawan songs on his request one time. But why would Ten recognise Riku's voice? Belatedly, he realised that it could also be one of the other members, whose voice he recognised.  
"Wasn't the group show for just a moment on TV just now the one from before? If I remember correctly, they're Idolish…", Ryū mused trying to remember the name. It was almost embarrassing. He should know it by now, but oddly enough, Riku and he rarely talked about their respective groups.  
"IDOLiSH7. …. Are they not being broadcast anymore? It was only a moment", Gaku spoke up without looking up from his phone. Ryū was surprised that Gaku could say the group name with such confidence.  
"Are you curious about them?" the brunet asked their leader. His mind briefly wandered back to Gaku's reaction after the live performance which had led to IDOLiSH7's manager and leader to visit their agency in order to apologise.  
"Not really", Gaku responded in a blasé manner before letting out a surprised yelp when Ten placed his glass down on the coffee table with more force than necessary and stood up with a sudden movement.  
"Rewind it", Ten demanded, voice oddly tight. That was quite the strange reaction if Ryū was honest. Did he have some connection to IDOLiSH7 they didn't know about? It wouldn't surprise him seeing how secretive Ten was about his private life. Even with them.  
"I wasn't recording it!" Gaku snapped back causing Ten to sit back on the couch, a frown marring his face.  
"What's wrong, Ten…?" Ryū hedged well aware that he might not get an answer to his question.  
"…there's a typhoon right. What does he think he's doing? That idiot…", Ten mumbled to himself. However, Ryū picked up on it. There was definitely something going on there. Ryū knew better than to press for answers.

* * *

The trains were running again. Riku was leaning against the wall of the hallway, towel draped over his shoulders. His ribs were giving him hell. This wasn't good. He might have overdone it. Step coming up to him reached his ear.  
"Haa, ha…. How many hours, was that…?" Riku asked, wheezing, when he recognised Iori's gait. The footsteps halted. The voices of the other members reached his ear from the entrance.  
"Two and a half hours", Iori responded, voice solemn. That wasn't so bad if he considered the condition his body had been in since this morning.  
"…I was just able to sing…for the same among of time…haa…as a real concert, wasn't I?" Riku chuckled, though it came out as more wheezing. His ribcage felt like it was squeezing down on his lungs. The next moment his vision started to black out and he felt himself tilt to the right. The last thing he heard before everything went black was worried shouts of his name and Iori ordering Sōgo to look through his belongings.


End file.
